Sarasota County will pursue negotiations to buy the Smith Farm property beside the Celery Fields after county commissioners unanimously rejected a settlement proposal that would have allowed D.R. Horton to develop a 126-home subdivision on the property.
In a second unanimous vote Oct. 6, commissioners directed the county attorney’s office and county administration to negotiate with the developer and Smith Farm property owners over a possible purchase. Sarasota Audubon Society offered to help raise money if additional funding were needed to reach an agreement.
The votes open a path toward public ownership of roughly 51 acres along Raymond Road at the center of a prolonged development dispute. They don’t authorize a purchase, establish a price or resolve the litigation…