County offered land for off-roading

The solution to Collier County's off-roading problem could be 750 acres of old tomato fields, officials suggested today.

The South Florida Water Management District formally offered the farmland to the county to make good on a 2003 promise. County commissioners agreed to give the water management district 30 days to work out the details to allow off-road vehicles on the property.

Consultants need to review recent environmental tests to confirm the land is safe for recreation, said John Dunnuck, director of land management and operations for the district. The potential off-roading park is about a mile south of Sabal Palm Road, a few miles east of Collier Boulevard, in Belle Meade.

About 50 off-roading enthusiasts cheered speakers who spoke in favor of a quick solution. All-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and swamp buggies have been shut out of nearby Southern Golden Gate Estates since shortly after the county relinquished control of the subdivision's roads in 2003.

In exchange for those roads, water managers agreed to find at least 640 acres of land where people could play in the mud.

"I am happily surprised by this suggestion," said Wayne Jenkins of the Collier Sportsmen and Conservation Club. "It would make an ideal ATV track."

Water management district officials are slated to return to the commission chambers July 25 to flesh out their plans.