Manatee County purchases Mixon Fruit Farms for $13.5 million

After discussing the operating expenses, necessary staffing, community partnerships and an array of possible uses, Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to purchase Mixon Fruit Farms at Tuesday’s commission meeting. 

Commissioner Amanda Ballard led the charge to purchase the former citrus farm, located at 2525 27th St. E., because it’s located in her district. The sales price is $13.5 million.

Ballard even reallocated funds from two other projects in her district — $3 million to rehab a building into office space and over $1 million to resurface a parking lot — to make the purchase more “financially feasible" for the county.