The following is the Property Acquisition Policy:

1. If the estimated value of the property is less than $500,000 – staff will secure one narrative appraisal report from a licensed independent real estate appraiser under contract with Collier County and on the Florida Division of State Lands list of appraisers. The Offer Amount will be equal to the appraised valued.
   
   
2. If the estimated value of the property is $500,000 or greater – staff will secure two narrative appraisal reports from licensed independent real estate appraisers under contract with Collier County and on the Florida Division of State Lands list of appraisers. The Offer Amount will be equal to the average of the two appraisals.
   
   
3. Should the two appraised values differ greater than 20%, a third appraisal will be ordered and the two appraisals nearest in appraised value will be averaged to arrive at the Offer Amount.

All appraisals will be reviewed by Collier County’s Real Estate Services’ staff Real Estate Appraiser and any appraisal that does not meet generally accepted appraisal standards will not be used to arrive at the Offer Amount. Either the appraiser must bring the appraisal to compliance or a replacement appraisal will be ordered and used to determine the Offer Amount.

Properties are selected in three ways:

• By program staff contacting a property owner after screening databases to select those lands with environmental qualities that support program goals
• By citizen nomination of a property
• By property owner application.
• For selected or nominated properties, only property owners who respond positively to staff inquiry will have their lands further evaluated for possible purchase. The Program will only work with willing seller property owners.

Citizens may nominate properties by sending a letter or e-mail addressed to staff via the contact information provided at the bottom of this page, including either a folio number or map locating the property. If you are an owner wishing to nominate your own property, you will need to fill out and send in the application. 

Citizens are always invited to attend and participate in public meetings, but if that is not possible, comments can be sent to staff or the Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee members through the following e-mail address: ConservationCollier@CollierCountyFL.gov

The Program is funded by through ad-valorem taxes of one-quarter mill over 10 years. The County is authorized to issue up to $75 million dollars in bonds to buy properties. Additionally, the Program will seek to leverage these funds through grants and matching funds from state and federal conservation land acquisition programs.

To be considered for acquisition, properties must support at least 2 of the following qualities: rare habitat, aquifer recharge capability, flood control potential, water quality protection, and listed species habitat. Also, properties will be evaluated based on vulnerability to development, overall ecological quality and estimated feasibility and cost of management. View Initial Screening Criteria.

The County Commissioners will make the final decision after recommendation by a nine-member citizen advisory committee, called the Conservation Collier Land Acquisition Advisory Committee.

Public access, consistent with conservation goals, will be provided where possible and in a manner appropriate to each property. The County will prepare individual property management plans in a process that will include opportunity for public input. Lands acquired in fee simple title will be managed so that the public can use them for natural resource-based recreation and education, including activities such as environmental education, hiking, nature photography, bird-watching, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, hunting and fishing.