The Trust for Public Land and Sarasota County has announced the purchase of 2.7 miles of former railroad right of way to extend the popular Legacy Trail toward downtown Sarasota. The railroad corridor was acquired by Sarasota County from The Trust for Public Land, which had purchased the corridor last week from CSX Transportation and Seminole Gulf Railway. Extending from the Legacy Trail's current northern terminus at Culverhouse Nature Park to Ashton Road, the corridor was purchased using $7.9 million of county funds, mostly from the county's Neighborhood Parkland Acquisition Program. The purchase marks the completion of the first of a two-phase effort to extend the 11-mile Legacy Trail by 9 miles into downtown Sarasota. TPL is currently working with the Sarasota County Commission to consider a ballot measure for November 2018 that would ask county voters to approve funding to acquire the final 6.3 miles and its construction, which would include two overpasses and improvements to trail connections.

The Legacy Trail