T. Mabry Carlton Reserve is a 24,565-acre preserve in eastern Sarasota County that protects one of the region’s largest undeveloped landscapes while providing extensive public recreation. Its modern history traces from Ringling brothers land purchases in the 1920s through later ownership by the MacArthur Foundation and major county and state acquisitions in the 1980s and 1990s that kept the land in public hands. Named for Thomas Mabry Carlton Jr., a county commissioner central to that effort, the reserve contains varied habitats, wildlife, and native wildflowers, with the Myakka River along its edge and trail links to other protected lands, making it important for both conservation and outdoor recreation.