From Punta Gorda Isles canal lots to Washington Loop acreage — FWC-authorized surveys and relocation, minutes from our Port Charlotte base.
Punta Gorda splits into two worlds for gopher tortoise purposes. West of I-75 you have the canal communities — Punta Gorda Isles and Burnt Store Isles — where remaining vacant lots are being built out fast. East of town it's rural: Charlotte Ranchettes, Washington Loop, and pasture-and-pine acreage where burrow densities run high.
The canal side carries a rule that surprises a lot of buyers: FWC does not allow on-site relocation on any parcel bordering a canal or waterway. A tortoise on a PGI lot must be relocated off-site to a recipient conservation site at $5,000 per tortoise (paid to the site, not to us) — real money that belongs in your pre-purchase math.
On the rural side, larger parcels usually have room for on-site relocation, which keeps costs down — but they also tend to hold more burrows, so the survey matters even more.
Where the calls come from in and around Punta Gorda.
Final vacant canal lots being built out. Off-site relocation rules apply — get the survey before you close, not after.
Ranchettes, Washington Loop, and ag parcels with scrub ridges. High burrow counts, but on-site relocation is often possible on parcels this size.
New communities and commercial pads along Burnt Store Road — one of Charlotte County's most active development strips.
Teardowns and infill near downtown. Small lots mean any burrow present almost always conflicts with the 25-foot buffer.
Inside city limits, building permits run through the City of Punta Gorda rather than Charlotte County — but the gopher tortoise rules don't change, because they're state law (Rule 68A-27, F.A.C.). Either way, no clearing or ground disturbance may occur within 25 feet of a burrow until it's resolved under an FWC permit, and both permit offices expect that handled before site work.
We're ten minutes up US-41 from Punta Gorda, survey PGI and the east county constantly, and can usually be on your site within 48 hours with the written report the next business day.
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.
PGI closing, Burnt Store build, or east-county acreage — we're ten minutes away. Call and it's handled.