PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A new nature preserve, called Rosser Lakes, opened this week in Port St. Lucie. It's the first property acquired in the city's Naturally PSL Land Bank — a new initiative to purchase land to conserve and protect it.
The Rosser Lakes Preserve is located right off Southwest Rosser Boulevard, east of Interstate 95.
WATCH BELOW: New nature preserve opens in Port St. Lucie
The park comprises 105 acres of walking and biking trails and two lakes for recreation.
Scott Samples with the City of Port St. Lucie said about 72 percent of the city's developable land is already being built.
To protect more of it, the city created a land bank and already has 273 acres for conservation, including Rosser Lakes.
In addition, the city also created a community trust to help with fundraising efforts to acquire new land.
"This is a result directly of us talking to residents and asking them what they wanted, and this is the fulfillment of that,” said Samples.
WPTV Port St Lucie reporter Tyler Hatfield spent Wednesday listening to neighbors using the park.
Glen Sabat, a Port St Lucie resident, spent the morning fishing.
Sabat said he's excited that the city is protecting land from more development.
"It's what Florida's about. Everyone moves here away from the cities to get to something like this, and we don't want it to go away," Sabat said.
RELATED STORIES:
Protecting Paradise
New 13-acre preserve opens in this Treasure Coast city
Protecting Paradise
