Manatee County officials hope to partner with the state to add a key link to the Florida Wildlife Corridor near Myakka City.
That potential link is a 550-acre stretch of land in East Manatee County — space that county staff say could help endangered Florida panthers traverse the state and allow threatened Florida scrub jays to nest while also giving residents a new place to enjoy nature.
The property surrounds Anson Road, a private country road just east of Betts Road and south of State Road 70, near Dakin Dairy Farms. The land, which is roughly the same size as Rye Preserve in Parrish, is about 24 miles east of downtown Bradenton…