SARASOTA COUNTY – Sarasota County has acquired an acre of property on Pocono Trail in Nokomis as part of the county’s ongoing commitment to environmental preservation under the Land Acquisition and Management Program (LAMP). The closing date was Dec. 18, 2025, and the purchase price was $1,475,000.

Located east of U.S. 41 at Pocono Trail in Nokomis, the 1.07-acre property contains approximately 1,200 feet of the eastern shoreline of Shakett Creek and contains native habitats such as mesic hammock, scrubby flatwoods and mangrove forest. Protecting these habitats helps provide safe spaces for many threatened and native species, including West Indian manatees, gopher tortoises, gopher frogs and ospreys.  

This property is located between eight acres of land previously acquired and protected in 2002 through the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP), known as Pocono Trail Preserve. Together, the combined properties will better protect the adjacent Dona Bay and the mangrove shoreline and oyster reef. It will also preserve and improve the native upland habitat and species.  

“Securing this property allows Sarasota County an exciting opportunity to protect more sensitive habitats today while leaving a lasting conservation legacy for future generations,” says Nicole Rissler, Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources.

Funding for the acquisition was provided through the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Protection Program (ESLPP). Both ESLPP and Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program (NPP) are voter-approved, taxpayer-funded programs established under the Sarasota County Land Acquisition and Management Program.

For more information about the Sarasota County Land Acquisition and Management Program, visit SarasotaCountyParks.com/landacquisitions.