PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Driven by the success of a citizen-led movement, Pinellas County has finalized the purchase of a preserve near Tarpon Springs that many residents worried would be sold to developers.
Officials said they entered into a contract to acquire the 14-acre West Klosterman Preserve from the Pinellas County School Board last December for $3 million. The county and a nonprofit, WK Preservation Group Inc., contributed $1.5 million. The purchase was completed on Thursday.
WATCH Citizens help Pinellas County save piece of "wild Florida" from development
WK Preservation Group, Inc. was founded by Tex Carter and others in 2020, as they began their fight to preserve the property, which is home to endangered plants, wildlife like gopher tortoises and ospreys, and a unique coastal upland habitat.
The nonprofit, along with Pinellas County residents, worked together for five years to save the property for conservation.
“We’re feeling like we really accomplished something that, early on, nobody really believed was possible," Carter said Thursday.
Officials said the newly acquired area will be incorporated into the nearby Mariner’s Point Management Area, which "serves as a sanctuary for protected plant and animal species, ensuring the preservation of local biodiversity."
The journey to preserve the land was fraught with both triumphs and numerous setbacks.
In 2022, the state legislature budgeted money to preserve the land, but when Governor Ron DeSantis announced his list of vetoes from the state budget, the funding to save the property on West Klosterman Road was on the list. According to DeSantis’ veto letter, the cuts will help prepare the state for a possible recession.
“It was just like having the rug pulled out from under you,” Carter's wife, Kay, said at the time. “I felt it in the pit of my stomach. It was like it’s hard to believe that that actually happened.”
After the legislative setback, the WK Preservation Group focused solely on its fundraising efforts. At times, it missed fundraising deadlines and faced long, seemingly impossible odds. However, it finally met its goals in late 2024.
“The last year has just been phenomenal with the way that supporters have rallied around the cause," Carter said. “Once it looked like it was possible, and more people believed we could do it, the more people started gathering and helping and supporting.”
Carter hopes his group's victory will inspire similar fights across the state to preserve precious wild places. He said ordinary people can make a difference.
“Wild Florida is disappearing before our eyes," Carter warned.
For now, the preserve will remain a non-public zone, but Carter said the county will evaluate the land, remove any invasive plants, and possibly open it up for hiking in the future.
"If there had just been a trooper up there, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided."
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