At their June 16 meeting last Tuesday, county commissioners declined to sign a $5.5 million contract to buy 9.7 acres on the northern stretch of the barrier island – two-thirds of which is under water – until they have solid assurance from an environmental group that it will reimburse the county for half the purchase price. Located 2 miles south of the Sebastian Inlet and half a mile north of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the low-lying parcel was prioritized for purchase by the Environmental Lands Acquisition Panel (ELAP). That is the nine-person group of volunteers tasked with identifying and ranking properties to purchase for conservation with a $50 million bond approved by voters in 2022. Although most of it is under the surface of the Indian River Lagoon west of A1A, Assistant County Attorney Chris Hicks argued $5.5 million is a fair price for this property because it also includes 2.3 acres of oceanfront land east of A1A. Purchasing it would prevent a private developer from building residences on the beach side or constructing a dock or pier on the lagoon side, he said. Perhaps the biggest selling point is that the property lies within the 900-acre Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches from Melbourne Beach to Wabasso Beach, made up of both public and private property. That location qualifies it for a matching grant of up to 50 percent of the purchase price from the Conservation Fund, a nonprofit group that purchases at-risk land with high conservation value, said Wendy Swindell, the county’s assistant director for Parks & Conservation. The Conservation Fund is in the process of securing funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for projects that benefit beachfront conservation and protect sea turtle nesting habitat within the Archie Carr refuge. The Conservation Fund has prioritized paying for half the 9.7-acre site in its FWS grant application, Swindell told commissioners. The money will come from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Fund, $20.8 billion paid by British Petroleum in a settlement for damages caused by the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the subsequent release of 134 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico (now Gulf of America). Florida’s portion of the settlement amounts to around $3.23 billion, including $680 million earmarked for environmental restoration projects. FWS administers grants drawn from the restoration fund, said Rebecca Perry, the Conservation Fund’s associate state director. Plans to purchase the north island site in partnership with the county “received preliminary federal approval in June 2026,” Perry told Vero Beach 32963. “This effort reflects our shared commitment to conserving one of Florida's most important coastal resources. Sea turtles need safe places to lay eggs and hatch, helping sustain their populations and support healthy marine ecosystems.” Perry said she fully expects the funding to be finalized later this year, but purchasing the property now without a guaranteed grant did not sit well with some commissioners. The north beach parcel’s assessed value is $4,476,266 and two independent appraisals came in at $5.58 million and $5.01 million. Because the purchase price exceeds the average of the two appraisals, state law requires that at least four of the five commissioners agree to the purchase, Hicks said. “As much as I love ELAP, it’s a lot of money for submerged land,” said commission vice chair Laura Moss. “$5.5 million represents more than 10 percent of the entire $50 million that we have to spend.” Commissioner Joe Flescher also had issues with the cost. “When the citizens approved the bond, they expected us to be good stewards and use proper judgement to ensure their intentions are met,” Flescher said. “I don’t see it with the amount of submerged property that is there.” Commissioner Joe Earman countered that the price, after subtracting the Conservation Fund grant, would be a good value for the county. “It’s right across from the point of Pelican Island, with Archie Carr on the other side, one of the top sea turtle nesting areas,” Earman said. “We could build an observatory there.” Commissioner Susan Adams asked what the cost would be to demolish the 1950s-era dilapidated home on the site. Hicks said that estimate would be calculated during the due diligence period after the county signs the contract. Swindell said that the county could apply for a Hazard Mitigation Grant from FEMA, which provides funding to municipalities that demolish structures following natural disasters. Such a grant could reimburse the county for up to 75 percent of the demolition cost, she said. In the end, commissioners voted 4-1 to withhold signing the contract and to direct Hicks to ask the sellers if they will extend the expiration of the county’s letter of intent by six months. This would allow time for Swindell to gather additional documentation confirming the Conservation Fund’s intention to award the 50-percent grant. The property is owned by the W. David Crosby Revocable Trust. Hicks said on Friday that he had not yet heard back from the owners about whether they will agree to extend the deadline. Swindell said she contacted Perry on June 17 and sent her a copy of the sales agreement. Perry told her the 9.7-acre parcel was a priority grant recipient, ahead of properties the Conservation Fund hopes to help purchase in Brevard County. She also said that the copy of the sales agreement “will help move the process forward.” “We’ve had a good working relationship with The Conservation Fund since we began working with them in 2004,” Swindell said. “They have some good expertise, and they are extremely well connected when it comes to grant funding. I feel really confident. It all sounded positive to me.” Commissioners did move ahead with the purchase of a large mainland piece of ELAP property at last Tuesday’s meeting, signing a contract to buy 36 acres on the western shore of the Indian River Lagoon near Wabasso for $1.57 million. Commissioners had paused that deal in April after the owners could not provide a clean title for the property. That snafu has since been cleared up, said Hicks. The first ELAP bond was issued in June 2024 for $25 million, which must be spent by June 2027. Once that money has been used, the county will issue a second $25 million bond and continue the process of preserving irreplaceable patches of the natural world for future generations. So far, the county has closed on three parcels: <ul> <li>21.89 acres on U.S. 1, a mile north of the Wabasso Causeway, formerly owned by Hale Groves. Price: $2.54 million.</li> <li>11.72 acres east of U.S. 1 known as Durrance Place that adjoins the Hale Groves site. Price: $1.26 million.</li> <li>15.47 acres in Osprey Estates, west of the Indian River Lagoon and across from Gifford Point between Gifford Dock Road and Bridgeview. Price: $1.64 million.</li> </ul> In addition, the county is under contract to buy two other parcels: the 36-acre tract on the Indian River Lagoon near Wabasso approved last Tuesday, and a 19.39-acre property adjacent to Captain Forster Hammock Preserve on the barrier island. Land can be nominated for purchase by county staff, environmental groups, individual landowners or any member of the public. All nominations are looked at carefully. To make a nomination, visit indian-river-county-elap-ircgis.hub.arcgis.com.