- September 28, 2026
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In its half-century of operation, high stakes were rarely an issue at Gulf Gate Golf Course in south Sarasota County, attracting regulars and visitors alike to its short layout, easygoing vibe and typically low prices.
Today, though, millions of dollars are at the core of a long-simmering discussion over what to do next with Gulf Gate’s former fairways and greens, closed since 2016 but still winding their way through about 1,500 mid-century properties.
The resurrection of the course isn't at issue. Instead, competing and distinct proposals want to transform what is now an overgrown, wild and green belt of vegetation snaking through one of Sarasota’s most established neighborhoods into one of two things:
However, long-standing soil contamination following decades of chemical use on the 49 acres complicates the equation, as does a gulf between appraised values held by Sarasota County and the property’s owner, Gulf Gate Holdings LLC, though even those dollar figures are not without nuance.
“I’ve actually played golf on that course,’’ County Commission Chair Ron Cutsinger said during a meeting. “I do think there’s an opportunity for a legacy project, but I think the thing we’re all struggling with, No. 1, is what they’re asking for it. It’s not within the realm of reality, as far as I’m concerned.’’
Earlier this month, Sarasota County Commissioners set into motion a process to connect with about 2,000 property owners in and around Gulf Gate Estates to gauge their appetite for paying the costs associated not only with purchasing the land, but also remediating the contamination, building a storm-water retention system, operating and monitoring it.
County Planning Director Matt Osterhoudt estimated pollution mitigation costs in the $5 million to $7 million range, plus about $800,000 to monitor arsenic and other chemicals in the soil and groundwater. About $7 million to $10 million more would needed for construction. A federal brownfield designation, which is in the works but not finalized, could bring grants and tax breaks to reduce some of those costs if approved.
And then there’s that whole “realm of reality’’ to which Cutsinger referred.
Gulf Gate Holdings’ appraiser set the property's value at $14.6 million this year, though county officials sya there is a willingness to negotiate. The land was last purchased in 2022 for $3 million, county records show, and assessed in 2025 for tax purposes at $4.6 million, after which the owner sought a reduction to $2.3 million through the Value Adjustment Board.
On the other side of the coin, two of three 2025 county appraisals came in at less than half of the owners’ at $5.3 million, $6.5 million and $9.5 million. The owner has recently requested a new round of county appraisals, as the previous batch are now a year old. That process was approved.
Still fresh on County Commissioners’ minds is the $18.1 million spent on a 2-acre parcel not far away on Stickney Point Road following appraisals of $14 million and $18 million. A commercial strip is earmarked to become a waterfront park there. (That deal not closed yet.)
One key difference between those two deals: residents would likely foot the bill for this one. A probable financing path could be a special tax district for those who benefit, resulting in estimated annual assessments of $300-$500 over 20 years. Gulf Gate’s homeowners association says that’s not fair, but concedes in a message to residents on its webpage that a rejection of the idea likely would end the prospect of a county purchase.
“The Gulf Gate Association Board does not agree with the idea that such maintenance should fall on the shoulders of Gulf Gate residents, because this storm water retention is a county issue due to the storm water conveying contamination directly into Sarasota Bay,’’ the HOA wrote to residents in mid-September.
The land, owned as a dairy farm for decades by the Bispham family, was sold to a developer in 1957 with the intention of building a residential community around an executive-style golf course that really hit its stride in the early 1960s.
But, as current day Stormwater Department Director Ben Quartermaine said at a meeting, drainage standards were different in the days of Beatlemania, "The Beverly Hillbillies" and 30-cent gasoline.
“Compared to Palmer Ranch, for instance, that has ponds and swales that treat stormwater, this area was primarily built out before ponds and water treatment were required,’’ he said. “There were some requirements, but not to the extent that we have today.’’
He said persistent flooding issues in Gulf Gate could be addressed with the kind of stormwater project envisioned, along with improvement in nitrogen-release issues into Sarasota Bay, a key issue for the fragile ecosystem.
Flooding is on the minds of residents, along with their objections to a new generation of homes built where golfers once roamed and wildlife continues to do so.
“I remember the cows on Palmer Ranch, I remember the tremendous rain, I do not remember the flooding,’’ said Stephen Guffanti, who lives on Bounty Drive and said he first came to the neighborhood in 1975. “Today, eagles and otters and bobcats use the golf course as a corridor, feeding on the rabbits. If you build on it, the water that now drains from surrounding properties on to the golf course will have nowhere to go, the flood zone will extend to the surrounding homes and their values will fall.’’
He added the next flood, should homes be built, could cost residents millions of dollars. Quartermaine said any new development would be built to modern standards, though surrounding areas would remain as is.
Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis said when considering some kind of taxing district and resulting assessments, the county by practice surveys affected property owners for their willingness to accept the costs.
“Typically, for example, when we do beaches, Manasota Key Beach or Siesta Key Beach, you do do this,’’ he said. “Some survey data on the indication on people who live there are in favor of the assessment by a certain percentage.’’
County staffers will begin to formulate the wording of a survey for affected property owners, in the core community and on its fringes, and continue negotiations with the land owners, keeping in mind that while the sales price is not yet solid, there are boundaries. There's also an April 2027 deadline upon which previous construction approvals expire.
With a potential purchase price still a matter of speculation, Commissioner Teresa Mast said it's critical to word any property owner survey in a way that lays out what's possibly coming down the road.
“$300 to $500 is a significant impact to many households, so I’m very thoughtful in that,’’ she said. “I want to make sure we err on the side of the high end instead of on the low end because if you’re going to have shocker to your budget, I’d rather know it up front. The only surprises I like, I tell my husband, are large diamonds. Let’s not kid ourselves: Let’s be very fair.’’
A version of this article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.
