SARASOTA COUNTY - The gopher tortoise's new status as a threatened species is creating a problem for county construction projects.  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has new, tougher rules on how the tortoises have to be protected.

Right now, if you find a gopher tortoise, it has to be relocated somewhere safe on the property before construction can start.  If you find more than ten gopher tortoises, you have to find homes for all of them elsewhere.  And it's a complicated and expensive process.

But county environmental scientists think they've found the perfect home for them and still keep them in the county.

The Sarasota County Commission talked Wednesday about the now threatened species and how and where to relocate them when county construction projects take their habitats.  "We are very partial to our tortoises.  We don't want them to go out of the county if we can help it...so we want to plan for being able to retain them here," says Rachel Herman with Sarasota County Environmental Services.

So far, the county has been able to do on-site relocation.  But if large numbers of gopher tortoises are found, they all must be moved to an approved site.  The closest one is in Pasco County.

"Relocation of tortoises on county properties would be wonderful, because there are open properties, most of them are preserved as parks anyway," says environmental consultant David Seagle.

County scientists think they found the best home at Fox Creek in Venice.  "This was pasture, but historically it was good scrub habitat...so we're restoring it for the tortoises and scrub jay," says county environmental project manager Kris Fehlberg.

Native gopher tortoises already call Fox Creek home.  Sarasota County is now working to get it permitted as a relocation site.  "We do need to resurvey the entire site.  It's 140 acres, so that'll take a little bit of time.  We also need to do vegetation surveys, soil surveys.."

It costs $850-$1,000 per gopher tortoise to relocate them to ranches outside of Sarasota County.  The county wouldn't have to pay those fees if they had a reservation right here on the Suncoast.