At its March 26th Governing Board Meeting in Tampa, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) approved a proposed lease agreement with Hernando County regarding recreational development within the Weeki Wachee Preserve. The proposed lease was approved by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners on March 12th, 2024. The new 350-acre park will be called Weeki Wachee Park. 

The meeting began with a review by Ellen Morrison, Chief of the Land Resources Bureau at the District, of the years-long history of the county seeking this agreement. She listed all the county requests for use of the property and the short list of those items that were incorporated into the final lease agreement. 

DeeVon Quirolo, representing the Sierra Club Adventure Coast Group, was the first speaker. She reiterated the group’s position as contained in a recent letter to the District, saying, “We have limited objections to recreational improvements proposed by the County under the lease and conditions imposed by the District” but noted two areas of concern. 

The first was the picnic pavilions the County is proposing and the potential for bear-human interactions. “The pavilions would need to be properly managed as outlined in the Florida Black Bear Management Plan (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2019) and we recommend that it be incorporated into the lease agreement and that a Black Bear Stakeholder Group be formed to guide the process. Eliminating food sources that attract bears is the first and most important action to prevent human-bear interactions.” 

The second concern was the potential for the leased land to be declared as “surplus” by the District and made available for purchase by the County through a lease provision that gave them the right of first refusal.  “Our concern is the County might then proceed with developing a beach/swimming area as initially proposed. This type of development would result in the transition from passive to active recreation within the Preserve and negatively impact our imperiled bear population and other wildlife.” 

Eugene Kelly spoke next on behalf of the Florida Native Plant Society. He described the lease as a “reasonable compromise” but recommended a provision be added to protect Florida Black Bears and avoid impacts to the resident bears in the public use areas with a strong public educational component. He reminded the Governing Board that the discussion about protecting black bears was a clear indicator of the land’s conservation values, which would make it inappropriate to ever declare the lands surplus in the future.  

Leslie Tomlinson expressed appreciation for all the District is doing but recommended removing the right of first refusal to the county and said that this proposal makes no sense to taxpayers who do not want to invest tax dollars in it. Other speakers, many also from the local group Preserve the Preserve, advocated for protection of these lands and the wildlife they support, noting that surveys have shown that there is broad public opposition to the proposed development of recreational facilities. Dr. Reed and others noted that the county has not been a good steward of its existing parks. Others cited concerns that the county intends to pursue a Phase Two of the project that would include the artificial beach and swimming area proposed originally but rejected in this lease. 
 
Former District staffer Kevin Love noted that no need has been established for the new park and noted that “No additional value has been afforded the public.” He and others recommended that a conservation easement be placed on the property should it ever be sold. 

Charles Lee spoke on behalf of Florida Audubon saying that the District had done an excellent job on the final lease proposal and noted that in this case, it is appropriate since the county’s ultimate design would have turned this land into a non-conservation use of the property. He supported the right of first refusal to the county as a way to ensure the property would remain in public ownership, but added that restrictive language should be added to assure conservation use only.  

Chris Linsbeck, Hernando County Director of Parks and Recreation, then spoke and noted that this is just 350 acres of 12,800 within the Weeki Wachee Preserve. The county will increase ADA access and provide educational information on the land and upon request by the board, he agreed to include the Florida FWC Black Bear Management Plan recommendations in the planning requirements. 

Several members of the Governing Board asked questions and offered their concerns about protecting the existing wildlife and support for the right of first refusal. One member recommended that a feasibility study be prepared to indicate how the impacts to wildlife would be minimized. District staff replied that everything will be submitted for their review and approval prior to implementation. One member noted that, “This agreement has been heavily negotiated and staff has done a good job through compromise.” Upon a motion, a unanimous vote was taken to approve the proposed lease.  

Many thanks to each of you for your support for the Weeki Wachee Preserve over the past few years by signing action alerts, sending in letters, showing up at public workshops and hearings and speaking out. It has made a huge difference and we were able to achieve a passive recreational plan that will protect Black Bears and other wildlife in the new Weeki Wachee Park. We intend to stay engaged as a stakeholder to ensure that the Black Bear Management Plan is implemented at the new park.