MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A sprawling 1,700-acre space in Martin County may soon be permanently protected from future development, as officials move forward with a plan to purchase a conservation easement on Bar-B Ranch.
The land is owned by the Troup family, who say they’ve long resisted pressure to sell or develop the property.
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“I really believe that’s important for Martin County to preserve some of these beautiful pieces of property that are being developed pretty rapidly now,” said Lance Troup, owner of Bar-B Ranch.
Troup says developing the property was never of interest.
“We get phone calls all the time wanting to, you know, do we want to sell the ranch? Do we want to partner with a golf course?” he said.
“The more we talked about it as a family, we realized that’s not really what our dreams were.”
That's why the county’s Environmental Lands Oversight Committee recommended purchasing a conservation easement on the property.
“It’s largely been undisturbed. It’s in its mostly natural form. It’s got some beautiful, diverse ecotypes,” said John Maehl, Martin County Environmental Resource Administrator.
The Board of County Commissioners recently agreed to move forward with the plan using funds from the voter-approved half-cent sales tax for environmental lands, passed last November. This potential purchase is one of the first under the new initiative, with 16 more properties currently under consideration.
“To have a hand-in-hand negotiation is exactly the way we would want to do it and I think it’s the perfect way for us to kick off this whole concept,” said Edward Ciampi, Martin County Commissioner for District 5.
The county expects to contribute approximately $5 million toward the easement and anticipates the state to pay about $13 million through the Florida Forever program.
If the purchase goes through, it would allow the Troup family to retain ownership while legally prohibiting development. They would also be responsible for ongoing maintenance of the land.
“It checks almost all of our boxes and the public’s interest in how we would use these dollars,” Maehl added. For the Troup family, the deal represents more than just conservation — it’s about legacy.
“There’s no pressure now, we know the ranch is going to be in good hands and it’s going to be preserved,” Troup said.
“And conserve that legacy for the county, which is really important to us.”
