HOMOSASSA, Fla. -- A property owner in Homosassa is hoping to turn his land into a park, but he needs the public's help to do it.
- Blake Longacre purchased property along Halls River
- He'd like to see educational area, museum and more
- Commissioners say county doesn't have money in budget right now
Blake Longacre bought an 11-acre property along the Halls River in the early 2000s.
"It's just beautiful. It just looked wonderful so I got it," Longacre said.
Initially he wanted to build a cabin property at the location but changed his mind after hearing residents' desires for a community park.
"It has unbelievable wetlands that can be turned into some type of educational area, so that everyone can be exposed to the real Florida, how it works," he said.
Longacre even has plans for a community center, parking area and museum on the property.
"This is ideal for what we need to be sending our out of town folks to enjoy the full aspect of Homosassa and get the full experience," said boat Capt. Gary Bartell Jr.
Longacre has told commissioners about his plan and says he could get grant funding for the property. He says he's working to continue the discussion and get the property on the commissioners' agenda.
"To me it's very important that the citizens want this," he said.
The county says it doesn't have funds budgeted for the project right now and is waiting to see if this is something the community really wants.
Longacre encourages anyone who wants to see the park put in place to reach out to their commissioners.