VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — Volusia County leaders just paid $29 million for thousands of acres of undeveloped land near Deltona. WFTV asked why they bought land they never plan to develop.
For $29 million, the county is getting a lot of trees, a lot of brush and a lot of open space. And, though one end of the property is dry now, leaders insist it will be a future water source.
Residents sat with signs reading, "We're Broke," but the Volusia County Council decided it had plenty of money and voted unanimously to buy 4,800 acres of ranchland in the center of the county. It connects a huge environmental corridor the county has been building, but also could supply between 3 and 7 million gallons of water a day.
"This purchase will help us meet the requirements for that alternative water," said Pat Northey, Volusia County Council.
Residents and tax watchdog groups, though, said the $29 million price tag was far too high.
"Here they are talking about another loan, and extending that. It's gonna be broke. It is broke," resident Alison Curtis said.
The county is paying more than $5,900 an acre. It's a bargain, county leaders said, though it's 25-percent more than the average price of farmland in the United States.
Council members said it was the right time to use voter-approved land buying funds before the real estate market goes back up.
"That's all we can use that money for, so this is the time to buy the property," Northey said.
In the meantime, water bills might also go up for county residents to help pay off utility funds being used for the purchase. The council will decide exactly how to fund the purchase next month.
WFTV
