Collier County to consider buying 1,000 ranch acres off Alligator Alley
Greg Stanley
Collier County might buy over 1,000 acres of ranch land off Alligator Alley.
But the price still has to be determined.
County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to consider an offer from the owners of HHH Ranch for the 1,010-acre property east of Collier Boulevard and north of Interstate 75.
Related: HHH Ranch owners offer Collier County 1,010 acres in exchange for mining proceeds
The owners haven't given the county an asking price yet.
Instead, they offered to sell the land outright or to hash out a mining partnership with the county, by which the cost of the land would be paid off by the proceeds of limestone rocks hauled out.
The county will negotiate with the owners on a proposed price or mining deal and will fund two appraisals of the site before deciding whether to go forward with the purchase.
Commissioners all agreed the property is valuable enough to consider buying. No strict use has been identified for it, but it could fit several of the county's priorities.
With easy access to Collier Boulevard and I-75, the site could house a sports complex the county wants to build. The county also wants to buy land where it could encourage developers to build affordable housing.
Several environmental groups urged commissioners to turn it into preserve land, citing the ranch's importance as habitat for panthers and other endangered species.
How a potential mining partnership might work still needs to be determined, said Nick Casalanguida, deputy county manager.
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"They're saying, 'I want X million for the purchase, but if you give me just a little money down to hold the property and let me mine the rock, then after the mining period is over, you can have the land for a nominal price because the value of that rock would be considered.'"
Commissioners Burt Saunders and Penny Taylor said they were reluctant to enter into a mining partnership but want to study it further.
Commissioner Bill McDaniel has owned a mining and excavation company for years. It could be beneficial for the county, he said, to have a deal that could get taxpayers a discount for years on rocks to build and expand roads.