The state agency wants the dirt to protect existing wildlife and the area's water supply. But the district won't go through with the deal unless Volusia County, where the land is located, shares the $1.5 million purchase cost ($1,078 per acre) with a $750,000 contribution.
Elected Volusia officials vote on the request March 7. The county's money would come from Volusia Forever, a voter-approved property tax specifically designated for land conservation acquisitions. The 1,391 acres are needed to complete the 36,000-acre Volusia Conservation Corridor that runs from Tiger Bay State Forest south to the Brevard and Seminole county borders.
Volusia County staffers working on the deal tell GlobeSt.com on condition of anonymity the commissioners will vote for the acquisition.
The Samsula property is the second purchase the water management district is working on in the past 30 days. The agency has contracted to buy 12,198 acres of forest land 10 miles west of Ormond Beach, FL from Rayonier Timberlands Operating Co. for $16 million or $1,312 per acre (three cents per sf).
The district would then sell the timber and hunting rights on the land to a New York investor for $10.5 million. The Daytona Beach News-Journal identified the investor as Robert Postma.
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