DUNEDIN — The second phase of improvements at the Gladys E. Douglas Preserve, which will open Jerry Lake and the eastern part of the property to the public, is funded and nearly ready to go out to bid. What comes after that is less certain.
City recreation officials say future amenities could be delayed or scrapped, and upkeep scaled back, if voters approve the property tax amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot.
“The phase two improvements are currently budgeted, so the upcoming referendum will not impact that construction,” Parks and Recreation Director Tony Mulkey told the Beacon.
But any amenities added later “may be delayed or canceled if the funding from property taxes is decreased,” he said. Maintenance would also suffer, Mulkey said, which could mean less frequent cleaning and trash pickup, slower repairs and scaled-back efforts to remove invasive species.
The preserve, the former homestead of philanthropist Gladys Elaine Douglas, sits at the northeast corner of Virginia Avenue and Keene Road, with its main entrance at 1900 Virginia Ave. It opened Feb. 23, 2023, and is the city’s newest and one of its largest protected green spaces, covering nearly 125 acres of environmentally sensitive uplands and wetlands, including Jerry Lake.
The first phase cut trails through the western side of the property and added educational signs, parking and fencing to protect sensitive natural areas, Mulkey said. Crews also removed invasive plants and extended sidewalks to improve neighborhood access.
“This area is accessible to the public now, but the area to the east, toward Jerry Lake, is still off limits until the next phase is complete,” he said.
The open trails pass through what the city describes as the last known remaining rosemary bald, a rare scrub habitat, where equally scarce pale reindeer moss, actually a lichen, grows among the rosemary.
Mulkey said the phase two design is 90% complete, and the city is preparing construction documents for bidding. The work centers on the former home site and access to Jerry Lake, and the design is being reviewed against the current budget. Elements under consideration include more parking, water and sewer connections, stormwater improvements, a restroom, picnic shelters, a dock with a kayak and canoe launch, a wildlife observation platform and additional trails.
The home’s existing garage and recreation space is slated to become a nature center operated by Pinellas County, Mulkey said.
“Phase two is a vital step in balancing public enjoyment with ecological responsibility, ensuring the preserve remains a sanctuary for both people and wildlife for years to come,” he said.
The city says the preserve is home to 143 native plant species, 11 of which are listed as endangered, threatened or commercially exploited.
A management plan required under the Florida Communities Trust grant program, administered through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, lays out future activities and amenities at the preserve. It also guides habitat work, including removing invasive exotic plants and restoring native vegetation.
Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources crews did some of that work in summer 2025, removing Brazilian peppertree, one of the most aggressive and widespread invasive plants in Florida, and carrotwood, which is on the state’s noxious weed list.
The preserve is the product of a 2021 campaign in which environmentalists, residents and the city raised $10 million to buy the property. More than 1,100 private donors contributed $4.5 million through the Pinellas Community Foundation.
In May 2022, the city added the 55-acre Jerry Lake and wetland parcel, buying it from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for $500,000.
Visitors can use a temporary parking lot at the main entrance or two pedestrian entrances off the Keene Road sidewalk. Each entrance has bike racks. Golf carts, bicycles, scooters and other motorized vehicles are allowed only on designated roads and in parking areas, not on trails. Dogs are not allowed because native wildlife often sees them as predators.
History of Jerry Lake
Few know how Jerry Lake got its name, or about the soldier of fortune it honors.
According to the Dunedin History Museum, the lake’s name dates to at least 1846, more than three decades before Dunedin got its name in 1878. An 1882 map of the area shows two roads, one to Tampa and one to Safety Harbor, one of which ran along a lake labeled Jerry.
Researchers later found a 1920s Tampa Weekly Times obituary for Jerry Dynen, known locally as “the old timer” and “Uncle Jerry.” He was the area’s only survivor of the 1851 López Expedition, a failed, privately organized attempt by American volunteers, including veterans of the Seminole Wars, to seize Cuba from Spain.
Dynen returned and, after being denied homestead rights, staked a squatter’s claim on the lakeside land. The property later changed hands, but the lake kept his name.