Old Miakka Preserve Addition

Old Miakka Preserve is part of the 130,000+ acres of conserved land protecting the Myakka River and contains a rare remnant of longleaf pine forest and Florida scrub.

The Story

Sarasota County purchased the property using its Environmentally Sensitive Land Protection Program (ESLPP) funding, a voter-approved funding program that enables the purchase of important natural and passive parklands for the use and benefit of the public. Big Waters facilitated the purchase of this critical property by working with the conservation-minded landowner, MAG Properties, Inc. who also sold and adjacent 38 acres to Big Waters to create their Tatum Sawgrass Scrub Preserve. Habitat restoration for the Florida scrub jay has already begun there, and now, the two properties combined have the potential to be an important area for the Florida scrub jay. The Florida scrub jay is found in Florida but nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, the birds are nearing extinction within Sarasota County due to isolation and inbreeding.

Why it Matters

This significant property links Old Miakka Preserve, located at the eastern end of Fruitville Road, to more than 130,000 acres of protected lands surrounding the Myakka River and the Tatum Sawgrass Marsh. The property is a rare remnant of longleaf pine forest and Florida scrub, most of which has been lost in Sarasota County. The property’s surface waters flow into the Tatum Sawgrass Marsh and the Myakka River. Conservation of such rare scrub habitat and clean-water areas is vital to the future of Sarasota County.

Learn more about Old Miakka Preserve and its four miles of nature trails at www.scgov.net.

Just the Facts

268

acres

Date Acquired

2020-2021

Owned and managed by Sarasota County
Links Old Miakka Preserve to more than 120,000 acres of protected land around the Myakka River
A mixture of longleaf pine forest and Florida scrub