Longboat hopes to buy underwater land for $10,000 (or less)

No, the sales offer didn’t arrive in a text from an Albanian area code.

And no, there isn’t a zero (or two) missing in the price.

The town really does aim to buy two pieces of land totaling about 7.5 acres for no more than $10,000. Probably less.

The catch? Well, they’re submerged just off the eastern shore of Joan Durante Park. But one parcel is vital to a high-priority public works project. The other could help later on with seagrass preservation. 

And the seller is motivated, assistant town manager Isaac Brownman said.

The town is interested, and gained permission from Town Commissioners on Friday to pursue the purchase, because of the planned construction of a redundant sewer line under the floor or Sarasota Bay from Longboat Key to Manatee County’s treatment plant.

Brownman told commissioners the town owns upland acreage and submerged acreage on the west side of the proposed route of the pipeline that would parallel the existing line. The two parcels, owned by the Jerome V. Ansel Revocable Trust and Jerome V. Ansel, both of Boca Raton, are the only missing pieces on the Longboat side and would provide not only better access but also potential seagrass preservation opportunities in the future. The same man also owned the land now occupying the park, which was donated to the town in the 1980s.

The town has been negotiating with property owners on the eastern side, too, at Longbar Point.

“What the project team is trying to do is knock down these land-acquisition elements one by one to get them out of the way,’’ Brownman said, adding that talks had been ongoing with the Ansel group first about a potential easement. “Recently, the Ansel Trust group came back and said ‘you know what, we really want to dispose of these properties on behalf of the trust.’ ’’

Manatee County values the two Ansel parcels at $434 (1 acre) and $2,720 (6.4 acres). In comparison, the town in 1983 bought a similarly sized 1-acre submerged plot, also from Ansel, for $80,000 county records show.

“It’s probably the only time in Florida you can buy 6 acres, or appraise it, at $2,720,’’ Brownman said.

“We think this is a very great opportunity, a very timely opportunity,’’ Brownman said.

Independent appraisals and a title search are in progress toward a potential sale. If purchased by the town, the land’s tax value would come off the rolls — to the tune of $25 and some change. The town's actions last week capped the price at $10,000, but Brownman said it wouldn't likely cost that much.

The under-the-bay pipeline plan dates back to 2020 when the Nixon-era original pipeline broke on the Manatee County side, spilling sewage. The town shortly thereafter embarked on the plan to build a second, parallel pipeline.

In March, town voters approved borrowing up to $33 million through the State Revolving Fund loan program to cover the cost.

The replacement of the mainland portion of the pipe came in 2023 for $2.6 million while the town began preparing for the more extensive underwater portion.

Loan payments will come through town utility rates.

Commissioners voted in 2024 to approve rate increases of 8% through the coming fiscal year, plus pass-through rate increases from Manatee County. Rate increases of 7% for fiscal year 2027 and 3% for fiscal year 2028 were also in the new increase schedule.