The wealthy Dart family has purchased thousands of acres of land across Sarasota and DeSoto counties throughout the last year.

The Darts, from Michigan and Sarasota, spent more than $35 million in three transactions in the two counties.

Charlee LLC purchased about 5,600 acres of pasture land in DeSoto County last October for $13.67 million, according to the DeSoto County Property Appraiser’s Office. Charlee’s mailing address is 1952 Field Road, Sarasota, which is the same as Dart Container Corp. of Florida, SRQ Land LLC, SRQH LLC, Turkey Creek Road Development LLC, Sunny Isles Development LLC, 2 X 4 Real Estate Holdings LLC, 5th Ave Delray LLC and Dart Care LLC.

SRQ Land bought $22 million worth of land from the city of Sarasota in 2011 and in 2012. The largest chunk came in the form of a $20 million deal for 2,480 acres the city had been using to dispose of reclaimed water. The City Commission originally approved the purchase in 2010, and was formally approved via resolution in June 2011.

The Dart companies own a warehouse in Plant City worth an estimated $7.8 million in addition to about $1.6 million in vacant commercial and industrial land.

The family made its fortune through the creation of foam cups and other single-use food serving products. Some of the Darts made headlines in the 1990s by renouncing their citizenship, according to a Businessweek article. Ken Dart has created a new community called Camana Bay in the Cayman Islands.

The Dart Foundation distributed $3.4 million in grants during the 2011 fiscal year, according to the Foundation’s Annual Report.

The Dart deal may have been one of the largest in the last year, but pricey real estate is moving in Sarasota County.

There were 496 real estate sales valued at $1 million or more from Jan. 1 through the end of August in Sarasota County. Most were residences valued between $1 million and $3 million.

There were 10 real estate sales valued at over $1 million this year in Charlotte County.

Email: cfeinberg@sun-herald.com