- March 31, 2026
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When initially wanting to rename Crane Park in Myakka City , Commissioner Amanda Ballard and Manatee County staff members thought the park had been named after long-necked, wading birds.
However, Crane Park had been named after a person — David J. Crane — in 1965.
“After researching, we realized that funds from the Crane Family Foundation were donated to purchase the (land) from the estate of David Crane back in 1965 (for Manatee County),” Ballard said.
The research was being done because the county was moving to rename the park after late Commissioner Carol Felts.
“We obviously wanted to continue to honor the legacy of the Crane family, and the history of the park, while honoring Carol as well," Ballard said. "And knowing Carol’s passion for local history, I’m sure that’s just how she would’ve wanted it done.”
So instead of renaming Crane Park, a roughly 16-acre expansion of the park will be named the Carol Ann Billberry Felts Preserve. Billberry is Felts' maiden name.
Commissioners unanimously approved the action during the March 24 commission meeting.
The land for the park extension (now the preserve) was purchased from the estate of Theolla B. Cannon for $420,000 and was originally thought to be 13.4 acres. However, the land was split up into several parcels, and the county's survey shows it's actually about 16 acres.
The commission approved the purchase in June 2025 after it was recommended by the Environmental Lands Management and Acquisition Committee.
Felts, who died Feb. 24 at her Myakka City home, was a member of ELMAC prior to being elected as the District 1 commissioner in 2024.
Once elected, she served as the committee’s commissioner liaison.
The dedication of the preserve on April 18 will serve as the public memorial for Felts.
“We encourage the community to join us as we honor the life and legacy of Commissioner Carol Ann Felts and recognize the lasting impact she made on Manatee County,” said Casey Zempel, Government Relations communication manager.
During the board’s approval of the 16-acre purchase to expand Crane Park, Felts noted that prior to ELMAC purchasing land in District 1, there weren’t a lot of county facilities out east. She was already envisioning the land’s future uses.
“Crane Park is under water most of the year,” Felts said. “This gives us a little bit more higher and dryer property.”
She said Myakka City residents know how to make the best of any situation, so regardless of the conditions at Crane Park, it’s still used and loved by residents.
Felts asked county staff to work on including trails and an additional waterfront recreation area to encourage residents to use the park’s extension, as well.
Zempel said staff members are exploring “long-term opportunities to create passive recreation amenities and potentially relocate some existing assets to higher ground due to the area’s repetitive flood risk,” but any future actions will require funding and board approval.
Manatee County accepted $7,000 in 1965 from the Raymond E. and Ellen F. Crane Foundation for the purchase of what is now Crane Park from the David J. Crane estate.
According to Marilyn Coker of the Myakka City Historical Society, David Crane owned a ranch along MJ Road where the Miakka Golf Club is being built.
Walter Carlton, president of the society, remembered hunting for squirrels and turkeys on the property when he was a teenager. Carlton is 76 now.
He also remembered how the Myakka River “twisted and turned like crazy” before Manatee County bought the 17.5-acre property.
“The county straightened the river,” Carlton said. “People used to be able to do things like that and not get in trouble.”
The river was straightened when State Road 70 was rebuilt in the late 1960s. “Old State Road 70” used to run through Crane Park and had a low, wooden bridge over the river that flooded every year during the rainy season.
“(Now, the river) is a straight shot from where the old bridge was to underneath the current bridge,” Carlton said. “When they did (the work), you had waterside beaches for the whole width of Crane Park. Since then, all the willows have grown in and took away a lot of the area that the kids used to swim in.”
