Manatee County to buy 105-acre rural site for conservation for $3.6M

Manatee County took a step toward purchasing 105 acres for environmental conservation in rural east Manatee County July 30, after commissioners approved a contract for sale and purchase plus an escrow agreement for Triple Oak Preserve.

Sellers Orin and Vicky Oberlander will receive $3,606,000 for the property at 30480 Betts Road, Myakka City, according to the agreement. 

When the couple purchased the property in 1996, “the only trees on that parcel were three oaks,” according to Environmental Lands Division Manager Debra Childs Woithe; that is how they came up with the name “Triple Oak Preserve” for the land Manatee County now plans to add to its conservation bank.

The county envisions using the site for passive recreation like hiking, birding, biking and picnics, with both paved and unpaved trails possible.

In collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Oberlanders followed a plan to reforest the land and planted more than 35,000 trees and managed the land through measures like controlled burns, Woithe says.

“There’s really no restoration required for this property; it’s easy to step in and take over managing it,” Woithe tells the commissioners. 

The property consists of 50 acres of upland forest, 25 acres of forested wetland, 25 acres of mesic flatwoods, 5 acres of scrubby flatwoods and 1 acre of ponds/freshwater marsh. It is near the headwaters of Tatum Sawgrass and is located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor between the Myakka River State Park and conservation easements west of the Flatford Swamp.

“It’s a nice mix of different habitat types” with “plentiful wildlife,” Woithe says.

Two homes are on the property: a 1,400-square-foot residence on Betts Road that could serve as a visitor center with restroom or a ranger’s home; and a 4,700-square-foot residence that could be used for environmental education, community programs or the office for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), which is currently in Palmetto, Woithe says.

The Manatee County Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee recommended in September 2023 that the county purchase Triple Oak Preserve, according to Woithe. Since then, the county has been working on the contract for the sale and purchase.

“We might be able to close in as little as 45 days on this property,” Woithe said at the July 30 county commissioners meeting.

The commissioners voted 5-0 to approve of the sale. Commissioner Jason Bearden was absent.

The move to buy Triple Oak Preserve comes days after Manatee County finalized its purchase of another property earmarked for conservation. On July 26, the county closed on a 97-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Emerson Point Preserve that the commissioners voted in March to buy for $15.5 million. Officials say their proposal for the property includes rehabbing a dock and cabin; connecting trails and pavilions; restrooms; and restoring tidal creeks to benefit local fisheries.