Lakewood Ranch homeowners in Sarasota County will see a familiar line on their November ballot: a 0.25-mill property tax that has protected more than 42,000 acres from development since 1999, according to county records and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. If voters approve the extension, the tax stays in place for another 20 years and authorizes up to $250 million in bonds for new land purchases.
The Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners voted 5-0 on April 7, 2026, to place the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program referendum on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. Commissioner Teresa Mast made the motion. Commissioner Mark Smith seconded it. Chair Ron Cutsinger and Commissioners Tom Knight and Joe Neunder also voted yes, according to county meeting minutes for that date.
Without voter approval, the program sunsets in 2029.
What it costs
The levy is 0.25 mills, or 25 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value. For a home with a $300,000 taxable value after exemptions, that works out to roughly $75 per year. The rate is not new; Sarasota County residents have paid it since 1999. The referendum would extend it through 2049.
What the program has done
Since its first acquisition in 2000, the ESLPP has protected 101 properties totaling more than 42,000 acres across the county, according to the Herald-Tribune. Protected sites include Red Bug Slough near Beneva Road, Deer Prairie Creek, Manasota Scrub Preserve in South Venice, Walton Ranch in North Port and Urfer Family Park.
Jon Thaxton, a former Sarasota County commissioner who now serves as director of policy and advocacy at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, spoke at the April 7 hearing in support of the program. As a teenager, Thaxton used to explore Red Bug Slough with a friend. Decades later, as a commissioner, he helped block a 230-condominium development proposed for that same land near Beneva Road, the Herald-Tribune reported July 25.
How it connects to Lakewood Ranch
Lakewood Ranch straddles both Manatee and Sarasota counties. Residents in the Sarasota County portion, including communities such as Windward at Lakewood Ranch, pay into the ESLPP through their property tax bills. The program is separate from Manatee County's $75 million environmental land bond, which goes before Manatee voters in a separate referendum.
What's next
The commission also added the Hawkins Ranch site to the ESLPP priority acquisition list at its April 21, 2026, meeting, passing 5-0. Voters will make the final call on the program's future on Nov. 3, 2026.
