Boy Scouts Scouting Potential Buyers for Land Parcel

In the late 1970s, the 1300-acre Sand Hill Scout Reservation was gifted to the Boy Scouts of America. Following the passing of Larry Die Polder in 1978, his son, Main Henderson, transferred a pair of property deeds to the organization. The scenic grounds have since been used extensively by the Scouts year-round for camping and other events.

According to Scout Executive Mike Butler, the organization also lets outside groups use the property throughout the year, including the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Chamber of Commerce, and high school sports teams, among others.

“We continually evaluate our programs, our resources, our camps, and our properties to make sure that we’re using them effectively to offer high-quality scouting programs and support our kids with great experiences and camp opportunities,” said Butler.

What is the optimal use for every corner of their property? As Boy Scouts leadership has been evaluating options for the best utilization of space and resources, the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative approached them in June of 2024 regarding the potential purchase of a 50-acre parcel on the northwestern corner of the reservation’s land.

The Scouts and the electric cooperative have an amiable relationship as they have many partnerships, including the use of the campground as a “storm staging arena” in the event of a hurricane or other natural disasters. Butler calls them “a tremendous supporter of the Boy Scouts.”

There is no offer yet on the table, and no timeline currently exists for a potential deal. If a sale were to take place, it would be followed by a six-month due diligence period, an update from the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council noted. The two are still in the “very, very early stages of discussion,” but Butler and company believe this transaction “could be a mutually beneficial collaboration.”

A working relationship certainly does not hurt Withlacoochee’s chances of getting a deal signed, but at this point, the ball is in their court to send an offer if they would like to move forward with negotiations.

The update added that the Council Executive Board is “exploring the potential to market” roughly 450 acres of land on the northeastern and eastern reaches of the camp. Butler noted that conversations such as these are “in the same boat” as the Withlacoochee talks. They have not made any formal decisions or voted on any of these.

The Scout Executive emphasizes that the intention of the council is to operate the reservation as a Scout reservation. Regardless of what agreements are or are not struck, the Scouts would still maintain upwards of 800 acres of property for their programs at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation. Butler and company want to do what is best for the camp.

“We are trying to be good stewards of the Scouting program, and that includes making sure that we’re effectively using our properties and delivering great programs to kids,” he added. “If there’s an opportunity that we can invest more into our programs for kids and our facilities at camp and there’s ways that we can fund some of those things, we feel it is our obligation to try to make that happen.”

Sales of small swaths of land could help to fund important projects such as the Cub Scout Range or ones of greater necessity like new bath and shower houses. Since they were constructed when the Scouts’ numbers were entirely made up of boys, significant updates need to be made to these facilities now that the demographics have shifted to be 25 percent female.

The prohibitive cost of new bath houses and the need for other modern amenities mean that funds are at a premium in order to give back to the Scouts. “We would certainly reinvest those dollars back into our programs to serve more kids and to serve them with a better program,” Butler stated.