3 weeks ago Share Although some land claims are still pending resolution, that won’t affect the county’s plans to construct the northern extension of the Legacy Trail into Payne Park.
As Sarasota County works on a nearly 8-mile extension of Legacy Trail, the federal government has awarded $1.3 million to property owners with claims to land between Ashton Road and Payne Park.
In 2017, after the county moved forward with plans to extend the Legacy Trail from Palmer Ranch to Payne Park, attorney Lindsay Brinton started to search for individuals who believed they own the property the county intended to use.
Federal government has paid $1.4 million in claims in ongoing Legacy Trail cases
SARASOTA – The federal government recently paid about $1.4 million in claims to 30 Sarasota County landowners who saw some of their property seized as part of the northern extension of the popular Legacy Trail project.
The abandoned Seminole Gulf Railway corridor is being converted into the Legacy Trail for biking and hiking under the National Trails System Act of 1983.
The money is paid from a Judgment Fund set up by the Treasury Department and not the $65 million bond approved by Sarasota County voters in 2018 to pay for extending the trail north to Payne Park in Sarasota and east through public land in North Port.
SARASOTA COUNTY – Since voters overwhelmingly supported a 2018 effort to secure $65 million in funding to extend the Legacy Trail – which runs 12.5 miles south from Culverhouse Nature Park to Center Road in Venice – some south Sarasota County residents felt they were being left behind.
Residents of North Port watched as elected officials fast-tracked the construction of the northern extension. They watched a groundbreaking ceremony for those segments over the summer. They wondered if they would also get a paved trail.
The fear became so pronounced that it was a brief focal point during the election to fill South County seats ahead of the November general election.