Kudos to County Commission Chairman Fred Hawkins Jr. and Commissioner Brandon Arrington who last week pushed for a 30-day delay in buying the Tohoqua property for the county’s land conservation program. The delay was warranted until the county can better determine what exactly it will get for its nearly $9.5 million payment to property owner Neptune Road Investments.

The company last week was still waiting for a wetlands survey from the South Florida Water Management District for the 370-acre site, which is part of the large development of regional impact of the same name. Without that determination, the county might be paying too much for the property, which is on the eastern shore of Lake Tohopekaliga. Neptune Road Investment officials have said there are at least 30 acres of wetlands on the property.

Besides knowing what taxpayers are buying – as Arrington stressed – the county needs the wetlands determination in order to move forward with a management plan for the area. Staff must determine whether dirt trails would be needed or whether boardwalks would be more appropriate – the two scenarios would have dramatically different costs.

Commissioner Ken Smith’s worry over the county possibly missing the opportunity to buy this property – originally part of the Partin Ranch and later owned by the Seminole tribe – was legitimate, given what happened a few years back when the county did not have a land conservation program and didn’t have the money to buy this property, which, at the time, was part of a larger tract being offered for sale.

As Smith said, the property is indeed strategically located between the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud, it would be ideal for passive recreation and it does fit the criteria for inclusion in the land conservation program.

Company officials have said completing the detailed survey is complicated because a portion of the property – which has been used for pasture – has been artificially drained by pumping for decades. Without the detailed survey, it would be guesswork on what would happen if the pump were turned off and nature allowed to take its course.

Moving forward, our commissioners will have to decide how many wetland acres would break the deal. We also don’t believe the deal should go forward at the negotiated price if there is a significant change in the number of wetland acres just because 1,000 fewer homes would be built in the Tohoqua DRI.