provided to The Santiva Chronicle
The Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation reported the Lee Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday, Aug. 6, to move forward with due diligence on the Conservation 202/20 acquisition for a 14-acre infill parcel on Buck Key. It’s the last privately owned parcel on the largest uninhabited island in Pine Island Sound.
The waterfront land, about 500 feet east of Captiva Island, was listed in June 2023 as “ideal for luxury residential homesites or a private estate” with an asking price of $21 million.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife, SCCF, and the state have already preserved most of Buck Key’s 335 acres, managed under an agreement with the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
SCCF says preserving Buck Key enhances the resiliency of Captiva Island and protects critical mangroves, a rare tropical hardwood hammock, and essential fish habitat for important gamefish such as snook, redfish, sea trout, and tarpon. It also provides roosting and nesting sites for a myriad of wading birds like herons, egrets, and ibis, among others.
“We would like to thank the commissioners for taking an important next step forward in preserving this unique natural resource,” SCCF CEO James Evans said in a released statement.
Since the BOCC voted to pursue the acquisition, the next step is to negotiate purchase agreements, which will be returned to the board for future consideration.
This is WONDERFUL news!