TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Pinellas County announced Thursday it had finalized the purchase of the West Klosterman Preserve, following five years of effort from a citizens group to save the 14 acres from development.

What You Need To Know

  • Pinellas County says it completed the $3 million purchase of the 14-acre West Klosterman Preserve

  • A group of residents has been trying to save the land from development for five years

  • The president of the nonprofit WK Preservation Group calls the purchase "wonderful," saying it's important to preserve the habitats on the land

  • PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fundraising efforts continue to save preserve in Pinellas County

“It’s wonderful,” said Tex Carter, president of the nonprofit WK Preservation Group. “We wanted to save this piece of property and make it part of the Mariner’s Point Management Area and preserve a pretty good-sized chunk of natural Florida.”

Carter said it started with a dozen people trying to raise $3 million in six months. Back in 2020, Pinellas County Schools was considering selling the land to a developer for $3.3 million. 

“The school board was almost ready to do a contract with the developer to turn this into 76 condos and bulldoze all the trees and all the wildlife that’s here,” Carter said.

When residents spoke out against the move, he said the district offered them the chance to buy it for $3 million. According to Carter, the steps they took to become a nonprofit prompted an extension of the original six-month deadline. Eventually, Pinellas County offered to share the cost. The preserve borders the county’s 76-acre Mariner’s Point Management Area.

“This is one active ecosystem integrated with different kinds of habitat for different kinds of plants and animals,” Carter said of the two properties. “If you took this out and turned it into condos, it would destroy the ecosystem all the way down to the ocean.”

Pinellas County announced Thursday it had finalized the purchase of the West Klosterman Preserve, following five years of effort from a citizens group to save the 14 acres from development. (Spectrum News/Sarah Blazonis)
Pinellas County announced Thursday it had finalized the purchase of the West Klosterman Preserve, following five years of effort from a citizens group to save the 14 acres from development. (Spectrum News/Sarah Blazonis)

He told Spectrum News the nonprofit collected more than 2,000 donations ranging from $10 to $350,000. 

“That brought us together, the county and us together, to do more than we would have been able to do as individuals, and that’s a good thing,” said Carter. “It’s really great for people when people realize they can make a difference with government, and it’s always great when government responds to its people.”

According to the county, the West Klosterman Preserve is specifically meant for habitat preservation and will remain a non-public zone. Carter said as part of the nonprofit’s agreement with the county, there is a chance it could eventually include walking trails. That would only happen if it can be shown there would be no impact on the environment.