Both sides of the county line, one call — FWC-authorized surveys and relocation across all of Englewood, from East Englewood to Manasota Key.
Englewood straddles the Charlotte/Sarasota county line, and the first question we get from Englewood callers is usually "which county am I even in?" For gopher tortoises, the honest answer is: it doesn't matter. The protections are state law, the FWC permit process is identical on both sides, and we work both sides every week.
What does matter is Englewood's habitat. The coastal scrub and sandy flatwoods between Lemon Bay and the SR-776 corridor are prime tortoise country — East Englewood's older platted subdivisions are full of long-vacant lots with established burrows, and even developed streets regularly have active burrows in side yards and easements.
Where your county line position does matter is the building permit: Charlotte-side projects file with Charlotte County, Sarasota-side with Sarasota County. We note the jurisdiction on every report so it lands in the right permit package.
What we see most between the bay and the state road.
New homes on 1960s-platted lots that have sat vacant for decades — the highest burrow-hit rate in the area.
Barrier-island and near-bay parcels. Less habitat than inland, but upland pockets still turn up burrows — and waterfront rules push relocations off-site.
Established neighborhoods with tortoises already resident. We measure the 25-foot buffer and resolve only what actually conflicts.
Englewood's land market moves fast; a $350 survey up front keeps deals from stalling in due diligence.
Gopher tortoise compliance in Englewood is governed by statewide FWC rules (Rule 68A-27, F.A.C.): no disturbance within 25 feet of any burrow without an FWC permit, surveys valid 90 days for permit applications, and relocation only by authorized hands. Both the Charlotte and Sarasota building departments will expect this resolved before clearing.
We confirm your parcel's county during booking (takes us thirty seconds with the parcel ID), so the report references the right jurisdiction and your permit reviewer has zero questions.
The same four steps everywhere we work — most clients only ever make one phone call.
Give us the property address and your timeline. We confirm whether a survey is needed and schedule within 48 hours.
We walk 100% of the parcel, GPS-map every burrow, and deliver an FWC-format written report the next business day.
If tortoises are present, we prepare and submit the FWC relocation permit application for you. Typical review: 2–6 weeks.
Once permitted, we capture and relocate the tortoises to an approved recipient area. You're legal to clear and build.
Same transparent pricing across our whole service area — no location markups.
| Gopher tortoise survey | $350 / quarter acre |
| Relocation (up to 2 tortoises, permit included) | $1,400 |
| Each additional tortoise | +$400 |
| Off-site recipient site fee (waterfront/canal lots — paid to the conservation site) | $5,000 / tortoise |
Full details, examples by lot size, and what's never included: see the pricing page.
Either side of the line, we've got it — on-site within 48 hours, report the next business day.