Collier County commissioners agreed to pay almost $2 million to buy three parcels of land on Marco Island to preserve properties and prevent future development for protected burrowing owls and gopher tortoises.
The $1.77 million for 1.28 acres will come from the Conservation Collier program, a voter-approved fund that has been acquiring properties of natural resource value throughout the county since 2003. The properties approved in September are in addition to three in Marco Island approved by commissioners in 2023 for $5.39 million of Conservation Collier funds.
The Marco Island properties were among about 638 acres the Collier County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to purchase for conservation at a Sept. 22, 2026, regular meeting. The board approved $9.86 million in total from the conservation fund…