Flagler buy adds 25 acres to Princess Place Preserve
Flagler County and the St. Johns River Water Management District added another 25 acres to Princess Place Preserve, the “crown jewel” of the county’s park system, through a $700,000 purchase.
The purchase was the first through the county’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands program in a decade, wrote the county’s communications coordinator Julie Murphy in a release.
The land is along Princess Place Road and adjacent on three sides to the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Pellicer Creek Conservation Area – approximately 3,000 acres of conservation land in northeastern Flagler County that is connected to the 1,500acre Princess Place Preserve.
The acquisition enhances the Pellicer Creek Conservation Corridor, which conserves and protects habitat and water supply in the region, said General Services Assistant Director Mike Lagasse.
“This is a great addition to our conservation lands inventory,” Lagasse stated. “It’s been known as the ‘Kelly’ parcel, previously owned by a family of the same name, and was the last privately-owned, undeveloped parcel on the Princess Place Road.”
The land was purchased from James and Judith Kelly of the JJKelly Trust for $700,000, according to a warranty deed.
Flagler County’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands program was started in the late 1980s to acquire and preserve environmentally sensitive lands for recreation, water recharge and as habitats for threatened and endangered species.
“The Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program has really benefited Flagler County and the municipalities,” Lagasse said. “Whenever possible we try to leverage our funds with other sources, like the state’s Florida Forever program or the St. Johns River Water Management District, to stretch the ESL purchasing power. It brings money back to the county.”
The St. Johns River Water Management District will manage the new property due to it being next to the Pellicer Creek Conservation Area.
“This acquisition is a great reminder of the work that the Environmentally Sensitive Lands program has been doing in Flagler County since the late 1980s,” County Administrator Heidi Petito said. “It is important to conserve and preserve properties that our local landowners and citizens have identified as critical to remain natural for future generations.”
Murphy provided this history of Flagler County’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program:
With an eye toward preserving Princess Place for the public, Flagler County voters approved an ad valorem tax in 1988 to acquire environmentally sensitive lands, recreation areas, and water protection areas.
The Land Acquisition Selection Advisory Committee (LAC) was formed in 1989 to advise the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners about potential purchases.
The first purchase was Bings Landing Park in 1989. Princess Place Preserve was purchased in phases in 1993 and in
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1996.
In 1998, the Board of County Commissioners decided to refinance the original bond and obtain additional funds — supported by a debt service millage — netting the county an additional $1.52 million for land acquisition.
In 2002, more than 74% of voters reaffirmed their support for the program by passing a referendum for the issuance of Environmentally Sensitive Lands bonds.
That allowed the county to issue general obligation bonds not to exceed $6.7 million payable from annual ad valorem taxes levied at a rate not exceeding 0.163 mill for a term not exceeding 14 years.
Voters approved a referendum in 2008 extending the program for an additional 20 years and provided the flexibility to finance up to $40 million.
This new program also included a provision allowing an amount equivalent of up to 10% of the purchase price that could be used for land management, public access improvements and habitat enhancement.