Islamorada council members and staff gathered off Porto Salvo Drive inside the Venetian Shores community on April 9 to dedicate an 85-acre property as a nature preserve.
“What started as litigation became preservation,” said former village council member Mark Gregg.
He added that the owner of the property, the Glynn family, wanted various easements and use of the property that the council of seven years ago didn’t find suitable. During mediation, the owner agreed to sell the property to the village for an appraised value.
The property was purchased by Jay Glynn in the 1960s. At the time, it was platted for commercial development along its U.S. 1 frontage and for residential development similar to that of the neighboring Venetian Shores subdivision. The state, however, subsequently listed a portion of the Glynn property on the Florida Forever acquisition list; Monroe County designated the Glynn property as conservation land in the comprehensive planning process. Upon its incorporation, Islamorada also designated the land as conservation.
Glynn’s trust and heirs attempted to obtain limited development approval for upland area along U.S. 1 frontage of the property through applications submitted to the village for small scale comprehensive plan amendment and associated rezoning to allow affordable housing development. Those applications were denied by the village in 2019. The matter eventually reached mediation in 2023, which led to a settlement agreement that saw the village purchasing the property from the Glynn heirs.
The village paid $650,000 to acquire full ownership of the 85 acres.
Gregg joined current council members Deb Gillis, Don Horton and Anna Richards at the dedication.
“This property was platted for over a hundred lots. Much of it is wetlands and really couldn’t be built on, but there are acres of very high quality hammock,” Horton said.
“Setting aside property as a natural preserve reduces our exposure to takings claims and keeps our village natural and beautiful,” Richards said.
The village Land Acquisition Advisory Committee, a volunteer citizens’ group, works with Peter Frezza, environmental resources manager, to evaluate properties in the village and recommend acquisitions. In the case of this acquisition, referred to as the “Glynn Family Preserve,” the appraised value came in under the asking price, but the village is constrained by the appraisals.
The Land Acquisition Advisory Committee follows property guidelines set by Florida Forever, the state’s primary land acquisition program. The goal is to use land acquisition to preserve natural ecosystems around the state. The program has set aside about 900,000 acres. It is funded by tax stamps on property documents and by a portion of real estate taxes paid to the state.
Islamorada has budgeted $1 million to fund acquisition of land to be placed in reserve. The village staff is in discussions with and searching for willing sellers. More information is available from Frezza at peter.frezza@islamorada.fl.us or call 305-664-6427.
