Residents in the city of Sarasota, Florida, will ask city commissioners on Monday to approve a plan to permanently conserve the Bobby Jones Golf Club.
Advocates for the 263-acre property want it to be protected under a conservation easement, which would prevent development on Bobby Jones in perpetuity.
The City Commission will hold a special meeting dedicated to Bobby Jones at 9 a.m. on Monday and will consider several topics relating to the property, such as its upcoming renovation and the conservation easement plan.
City staff members have developed a draft conservation easement between the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast and the city. Bobby Jones advocates want the City Commission to approve the easement on Monday.
They also want the city to follow through with the plan for the future layout of Bobby Jones that it approved in 2020. The plan will set aside a substantial portion of the property as park space.
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The Donald Ross-designed course was officially christened on February 13, 1927, when Jones himself took part in a dedication event. He shot 73 that day.
Edda Post, a charter member of Conserve Bobby Jones Now, sees the issue as not just relating to the environment, but also to mental health.
“It’s really good for the heart and the soul and the mind to be able to go out into greenspace and just not be around cars,” she said, “and have a place to go to that’s safe, quiet and comforting.”
The commission will also consider several matters relating to the golf course itself on Monday.
The city received several bids for a project that will renovate the course and has decided to award the contract to Q.G.S Development Inc. On Monday, the commission will vote on whether to approve the city’s agreement with Q.G.S. Development for $12,513,599.
The city is also planning to hire a company to take over management of the golf course, with the commission to vote on whether to authorize city staff to negotiate a contract with Antares Golf, LLC.
Sarasota closed Bobby Jones to golf play earlier in the pandemic. The land is currently being used as a recreational space where residents can walk or run on nature trails.
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com or (941) 228-3321 and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.
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