Pinellas nonprofit trying to save preserve gets more time to raise money

There may finally be an end in sight to the yearslong campaign to save West Klosterman Preserve, according to residents working to conserve the 14 acres of untouched Pinellas County land.

County officials and WK Preservation Group, a nonprofit that has fought to purchase the slice of wild Florida near Tarpon Springs threatened by developers, say they are confident the group will meet a fundraising deadline that was extended this week.

The nonprofit fell short of its original target Sunday, but worked with county officials to secure an extension until Dec. 10. That agreement is awaiting the county administrator’s signature, said Paul Cozzie, Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources director.

“We are moving forward with the full intention of being able to acquire this parcel within the allotted timeframe,” Cozzie wrote in an email to the Tampa Bay Times on Monday.

Tex Carter, the organization’s director, said the nonprofit saw more than $100,000 flood its coffers as the previous deadline neared, then passed. That influx of cash, combined with continued support from the county, are encouraging, he said. Carter said the nonprofit still has about $250,000 left to raise.

“We are much more optimistic now that the county has agreed to work with us on the deadline,” Carter said.

The purchase would close a deal more than four years in the making.

In 2020, Carter’s group stepped in to stop the sale of the environmentally sensitive land to condo developers.

The property on West Klosterman Road is home to Florida scrub habitat, one of the rarest ecosystems in the country, and supports more than 60 endangered plants and animals native to the state.

It borders Mariner Point, a 76-acre environmental restoration area owned by the county. The West Klosterman purchase would conserve contiguous habitat important to wildlife — including dozens of threatened gopher tortoises — that roams both properties.

Pinellas County Schools owns the West Klosterman land and is asking $3 million for the preserve, which will go toward school infrastructure and facility projects.

The school district sat on its offer from developers, giving Carter’s group time to gather private donations and seek help from Florida lawmakers. In 2022, the state Legislature approved all $3 million for the purchase, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed it.

Residents then secured $2.5 million from a legislative budget commission, which gave money to hundreds of projects sponsored by lawmakers following the governor’s vetoes.

When DeSantis failed to distribute those funds to state agencies by the deadline, the West Klosterman grant “disappeared,” Carter said.

“Long story short, we realized that we could no longer depend on the state for any support,” he said.

The nonprofit’s luck turned around in August 2023, when county officials pledged $1.5 million through Penny for Pinellas funds, halving the amount the group needed to raise. Now, volunteers are racing to meet a new end-of-year deadline.

Carter said some “big donors” are talking with the group to possibly close the fundraising gap quickly.

“In the meantime, we still need all the public support, because that’s what’s made a difference to the county officials,” Carter said. “A strong movement of local people can help government make the right decisions.”

Those who want to contribute to efforts to preserve the area can donate here.