MANATEE COUNTY — Rattlesnake Key, an undeveloped island situated just north of Emerson Preserve in Manatee County, was sold to a private corporation. State and local officials had long eyed the property for conservation, but negotiations with the seller to acquire it for public use fell apart last year.
According to local property records, the Rattlesnake Key Preservation Company, LLC, a Delaware-based company, purchased the more than 720-acre parcel from seller Cayo Cascabel, LLC for $18 million. The sale closed on October 28, 2025.
An untouched slice of Old Florida, Rattlesnake Key and the surrounding parcels are home to important mangrove and wetland habitat for fish and wildlife…