Manatee Environmental Lands Tax Referendum

The proposed Environmental Lands Acquisition, Improvement and Maintenance Finance Referendum will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

If approved, the money could fund the acquisition, improvement, and maintenance of environmental lands, including conservation easements. The stated purposes include protecting drinking water sources, improving water quality, preserving fish and wildlife habitat, protecting natural and environmentally sensitive lands from development, and providing public preserves.

The proposal builds on the similar referendum—the Conservation and Parks Projects Referendum—approved by Manatee County voters in 2020. That measure received about 71% of the vote and authorized up to $50 million in general obligation bonds and a 0.15 mill property tax levy to purchase conservation lands.

The county's Environmental Lands Program says that since 2023 it has acquired more than 300 acres of conservation land, established two new preserves, expanded four existing preserves, and expanded one county park. The county also partnered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to permanently protect 1,483 acres through rural land protection easements.

What would change? 

The most obvious difference between the two referendums is the proposed funding amount. The 2026 measure would authorize up to $75 million in bonds, compared to $50 million under the 2020 referendum. The proposed property tax levy is also greater, from 0.15 mills under the 2020 measure to 0.16 mills for the 2026 proposal.

A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. At 0.16 mills, the additional tax would equal $16 per year for every $100,000 of taxable value. The actual amount paid by a property owner depends on their property's taxable value and exemptions.

The Trust for Public Land's 2026 feasibility study identified dedicated property-tax revenue and bonding as a way to provide the county with both funding for land purchases and a source of revenue for ongoing costs.

The proposed language also expands the types of conservation interests the county could help acquire. Rather than limiting funding to outright property purchases, the referendum would allow the county to contribute toward acquiring "any and all lands, easements, and other property interests."

That distinction is important because conservation easements can protect land from future development without requiring the county to purchase the property outright. The landowner retains ownership, while development rights can be restricted through the easement.

The resolution’s language also includes accountability provisions, including annual public audits, public disclosure of expenditures, acquisitions from willing sellers only, and consultation with the county's Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee (ELMAC) on land acquisitions and maintenance programs.