Over 1,400 acres of Manatee County land are set to be protected from development after county leaders agreed to contribute $2 million for their conservation.
Manatee County Government is partnering with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to buy conservation easements on 438 acres of Mossy Island Ranch and 1,045 acres of Thundercloud Ranch, two privately held ranches in East Manatee.
In a conservation easement, a landowner voluntarily sells a property’s development rights. Going forward, current and future landowners may continue to use the land for agriculture, but large-scale development is permanently prohibited…