The Brevard County Board of County Commissioners on a unanimous voice vote approved transferring roughly 114 acres of land to the county's EELS (environmental lands) program and authorized related administrative actions.
Commissioner Felder moved that the county pay $57,270 to the general fund to reimburse utilities paid in 2014, authorize EELS to enter a friends agreement with the Friends of Hundred Acre Hollows nonprofit, permit the parks and recreation director to execute agreement renewals and amendments, and authorize the county manager to take all necessary steps, including budget amendments, to complete the transfer. The motion carried without dissent.
Speakers at the public hearing urged the board to approve the transfer and emphasized long-term stewardship. Tom, representing Friends of Hundred Acre Hollows, thanked staff and volunteers and said the group seeks to hold the property "in perpetuity" for conservation. Anita Unrath described nine years of volunteer management and named partner organizations that supported habitat restoration and education, including the Brevard Zoo and Space Coast Audubon Society.
Staff had told commissioners the selection and management committee reviewed the parcels and made a unanimous recommendation in favor of the transfer; the committee also asked that transfer fees be waived, a request the board honored in effect by approving the $57,270 payment to the general fund.
The board's action authorizes execution of final agreements and budget adjustments; staff did not set a public date for final execution at the meeting.
The transfer concludes a multi-year process of review and community stewardship that county staff and volunteers described during the meeting.