Landowner Wants More Homes On Conservation Land

"After 1 1/2 years of haggling with Pasco County, Dr. J. Clayton Pruitt's plan for 1,300 homes and a winery was approved on his 3,500 acre ranch north of State Road 52. But the St. Petersburg heart surgeon wants to double the number of homes on the property. The proposal is sure to upset environmentalists already concerned about the impacts on the 1,000 acres of wetlands on site, and the adjoining Pinellas County property with waterwells serving customers across the Tampa Bay area. Pruitt offers a bargaining chip. If the County lets him build, say, 3,000 homes, he's offering to kick in hundreds of acres for a permanent wildlife preserve."