SARASOTA, Fla. — The future of an old golf course in Sarasota is now in the hands of county commissioners, as they consider purchasing the 49-acre property to prevent it from becoming a housing subdivision.
Residents say they’re hoping this deal goes through, as they believe it would protect their backyards from flooding.
When Terri Moore first moved to Gulf Gate two years ago, she didn’t know much about the former golf course that ran through the subdivision. Let alone how many developers wanted it.
“It would be really great if the community can keep this. It’s one of the last big, almost 50 acres, parcels that’s just green space,” Moore said.
She and her neighbors worry about what may happen if this grassy spot turns into a construction zone.
“Those homes will be elevated, and then that causes any kind of stormwater to run into the backyards, literally into the backyards of the surrounding homes,” Moore said.
Last week, the Sarasota County Commissioners voted to evaluate what it would take to acquire all 49 acres, which would ease Moore’s concerns. They voted to do two more updated appraisals for the golf course property.
Jon Thaxton was a county commissioner when the former golf course closed a decade ago, and says the current developer and the county need to meet in the middle when it comes to keeping this area undeveloped.
“It’s very rare that we find a parcel like this in Sarasota County. And the Gulf Gate golf course is located so close to the bay that it enables us to be the most effective that we can by removing pollutants before they get into the bay,” said Jon Thaxton, Director of Policy and Advocacy, with Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Since this has been a golf course for years, that surface runoff could impact the entire Sarasota Bay.
“It also has soil contamination. But probably the biggest challenge that we’re facing with the Gulf Gate golf course right now is preserving in perpetuity,” Thaxton added.
With her backyard being right on the golf course, Moore says this green space is more than a view, it’s a stormwater sponge she doesn’t want to see go away.
“Gulf Gate neighborhood flooded during Tropical Storm Debbie, like so many other places in Sarasota County. So this is a last great opportunity to keep our stormwater sponge here, to drink in that water and to clean it before it goes into those creeks and goes all the way out to the bay, because once you put concrete on it, then there’s there’s no more stormwater sponge there,” Moore explained.
She believes in protecting her home and the homes of all the species that live just beyond her property line.
The county could not purchase the golf course when it initially closed a decade ago because its acquisition programs are with voluntary sellers. At the time, there were several developers putting in bids for all 49 acres. However, plans for a subdivision never panned out, and the current owner is open to selling the land.