The Southwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board Tuesday approved the purchase of a parcel of land in connection with the Lake Hancock Project. The property is an important part of the creation of a greenway link.
The parcel is approximately 590 acres of land and is located along the eastern shore of Lake Hancock. Located west of Thornhill Road, south of the Polk Parkway and State Road 540, the property is being purchased for $5,225,000 from Tom and Tham Nguyen and Steven and Becky Coscia. District funding for this purchase comes from the Florida Forever Trust Fund.
Purchasing this parcel of land is consistent with the District’s Florida Forever Work Plan, which specifically identifies the Upper Peace River Corridor and Lake Hancock projects.
This property will be used as part of the Lake Hancock Lake Level Modification project, which is intended to restore the historical lake level and increase storage in Lake Hancock.
Acquiring this land is a critical component of the recovery strategy for the Upper Peace River. The District is currently setting minimum flows and levels (mfls) for the Peace River, which are necessary to meet the area’s water needs. An important part of the recovery strategy is to restore Lake Hancock, which includes restoring the storage capacity of Lake Hancock. With the storage capacity restored, some of the water will be able to be released into the Upper Peace River during the dry season to help meet low flow requirements.