SARASOTA COUNTY - On Thursday, April 4, Sarasota County successfully finalized the purchase and acquisition of the 43.34-acre Burns property located at Woodland Boulevard, North Port, within unincorporated Sarasota County.

The property is within Sarasota County's Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP) Deer Prairie Creek Preserve protection priority site.

"Acquiring this property shows Sarasota County’s continued commitment to land protection, and its efforts to provide connectivity in the region," said Nicole Rissler, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources.

The Burns property consists of pasture, marshes and mixed hardwood hammock habitat. Wildlife sightings on the property include eastern wild turkey, crested caracara, swallow-tailed kite and sandhill cranes.

The Burns property was secured through Sarasota County's ESLPP, a voter-approved and taxpayer-funded program designed to acquire and protect natural lands and parklands.

Community members interested in nominating land to be considered for county acquisition may complete a land nomination form.

The completed form can be sent to landnominations@scgov.net or mailed to:

Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources

Attn: Land Nominations

1660 Ringling Blvd., 5th Floor

Sarasota, FL 34236

Below are aerial maps of the newly acquired property.

For more information, visit SarasotaCountyParks.com or call 311.