Manatee County commission to weigh expansion of Emerson Point Preserve in Palmetto

PALMETTO, Fla. - Manatee County leaders are set to decide whether to buy the 97 acres to expand the Emerson Point Preserve in Palmetto at Tuesday's commission meeting.

It’s land that has been listed for decades with the state as crucial property to protect, but commissioners are concerned about the cost.

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The land was appraised at $12.5 million, and although the official asking price hasn't been made public, Commissioners tell FOX 13 the landowners are asking for much more than that.

Funds to purchase it would likely come from the state and the conservation and parks project referendum, which residents overwhelmingly voted for back in 2020.

Commissioner George Kruse has spoken in favor of the purchase, noting that it was a better deal than what the county paid for the recently purchased crooked river ranch property.

At the last meeting in late February, he motioned for county staff to present a "best and final offer" for the land deal on Tuesday.

"We need to move forward with this," Kruse said. "I think dollar for dollar this will be looked back upon decades from now, generations, from now as a wise purchase."

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program both wrote letters to county officials expressing support for the buy.

Conservationists and locals alike expressed their support in public comments submitted before the meeting. Many are worried that if this doesn't go through, the land will be overtaken by developers.