For many local families, Albritton Fruit Farms, located just south of S.R. 72 east of I-75, conjures happy memories of blueberry- and flower-picking. It was known as the longest-running family-owned farm in Sarasota County.

But earlier this month, its purchase by Sarasota County’s Central County Solid Waste Disposal Complex was finalized for $19 million. 

We wrote about the sale when the farm's 341 acres at 9665 S.R. 72 in east Sarasota County were initially under contract. The county already owns roughly 6,000 acres directly south of the farm, much of it zoned for “solid waste,” with only a portion serving as a county landfill—for now. Back in 2004, the county and Albritton Groves Ltd.—the Albritton family's landowning entity—signed a contract for the sale and purchase of approximately 1,000 acres for the waste complex, an agreement that also included a first-right-to-purchase option for any adjacent lands. Years later, in 2022, the county was notified of Albritton's plan to sell those additional 341 acres.

The closed deal follows a previous unanimous vote in July by county commissioners to move forward with the purchase. (For more on the sale's back story, click here.)

Sarah Albritton, who's married to the owners' oldest son, John Karl Albritton, highlighted the challenges of current-day farming in an interview earlier this year, confirming that it's a “difficult livelihood.” She cited the year-round, international availability of fruit, including blueberries, as a particular challenge. “The Mexican berry market has made timing crucial for a commercial harvest,” she explains. “If you’re just a week or two late [with your harvest], it’s the difference between a profit or complete loss. When Mexican berries come into the market, it’s flooded with quality products at a very low cost, making them too expensive to harvest here since they’re hand-picked.”

"There were rumblings about this deal mid-season last year. I’m not the owner, but [the sale] is not what we wanted,” she told us. She added that she and John Karl, who are now raising the seventh generation of Albrittons, may one day embark on their own agrotourism brand.

Despite concerns from residents of the nearby Skye Ranch, Saddle Creek, Saddle Oak and Gator Creek residential communities about potential noise and heavy cargo traffic, the public hearing portion of July's county commissioners meeting on the topic saw no public speakers.

The new land is not slated to become a landfill. Instead, the property will provide soil for covering waste at the county landfill. Covering landfill waste with soil is a longtime strategy that mitigates pests, lessens potential odors and weighs down flyaway litter, according to Jamie Carson, Sarasota County's communications director. The county plans to issue revenue bonds to cover $17.95 million of the $19 million total purchase price. The bonds will be paid back over 15 years, using money from disposal service fees and other sources.

The original landfill has more than 50 years of capacity remaining, and procuring soil from the adjacent land will save residents up to $50 million over roughly 27 years, according to the county. The move will also keep more dump trucks off public roads because there will be no need to import soil from other sites.

"Without a place to excavate from, we have to outsource from a different location, which requires more trucks for transportation and incurs more expenses with external contracts for soil from elsewhere," says Carson. As for noise, Carson says internal roads will be buffered and not border the nearby communities.

“Our community needs to know that this property is not an extension of the county’s existing landfill," Genevieve Judge, a Sarasota County spokesperson, wrote in an email. "This purchase is a proactive project that will result in $50 million in savings for county residents, remove dump truck trips from our roadways and provide opportunities for generations to come. We invite community members to contact the county for more information about the project. We'll also be reaching out to the community to share project details as we move forward.” 

For questions, dial 311, click here, or follow along here for upcoming updates on the project.