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By Melody Jameson
melody@observernews.net
There’s a certain upside to the current downturn in real estate values.
It’s more a buyer’s market than a seller’s – and that’s as true in acquiring land for environmental preservation as it is in purchasing a home for private use or a commercial site for profit-making business.
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| Preservation land provides habitat for wildlife, cleaner air and water.
Jeff Fruth Photo |
But, of course, for preservationists to capitalize on such an acquisition- favorable economic climate, there must be a preservation program in place. And Hillsborough County’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Preservation Program (ELAPP) is on the verge of sunsetting.
Hillsborough voters will be deciding whether to continue financing the program that in the last two decades has reached out to protect about 45,000 acres in undeveloped condition when early voting begins about 20 days from now. The general election date is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
With those deadlines in mind, a 13-member steering committee – nearly half of them with roots in the South County – now is campaigning in favor of continuing the program that has accomplished its objectives with just a quarter mill of tax paid annually by property owners through their ad valorem tax bill.
The South County advocates involved in the grassroots campaign include Rob Heath, environmental scientist and consultant based in Riverview; Jeanie and Pete Johnson, both Gibsonton area natives long active in community and preservation arenas, William Lorenzen, environmentalist from Riverview, Ann Paul who, with her late husband, Rich Paul, has advocated for years on behalf of Florida’s bird populations, and Mariella Smith of Ruskin, an environmental watchdog who long has monitored development issues from the preservation perspective. Other members of the steering committee are: Dick Eckenrod, Eileen Hart, Heidi McCree, Sandy Murman, Vicky Parsons, Jan Smith and Sally Thompson. The group is chaired by Bob Martinez, former Florida governor and Jan Platt, now-retired county commissioner.
The group has produced a colorful brochure explaining the ELAPP effort as well as its history and has had printed about 20,000 copies, Jan Smith, a committee vice president, said this week. The brochures will be distributed across the county in locations frequented by the public and offered at dozens of speaking engagements the group has scheduled, she added. The informational pamphlet also can be seen at the committee’s website, www.preservehillsborough.org.
Committee members will be appearing on the programs of at least three South County organizations in the next three weeks and a fourth booking is being pinned down, Smith said. Discussion of ELAPP functions and objectives as well as introduction of the referendum that will appear on the general election ballot is on the agenda for South Shore Democrats when they meet October 16 in the Kings Point Clubhouse, she added. Similarly, the subject is to be discussed on October 20 when the Balm Civic Association meets at 7 PM and at the October 21 community meeting concerning redevelopment of the Ruskin downtown district. That session is slated for 6:30 PM on the SouthShore campus of Hillsborough Community College in Ruskin.
In addition, Smith indicated she’s talking with leadership of the SouthShore Round Table, the umbrella group that brings together representatives of many South County organizations on a quarterly basis, about being on their October 17 agenda when they convene for a morning session at HCC.
Over and above the public discussions and brochure distributions, committee members are showing a short video featuring both Martinez and Platt asserting several points. The former governor points out that the ballot referendum, which is not yet numbered, will be included among a long list offered for voter consideration. He asks that voters take the time to look for it. The video also can be accessed through the steering committee website.
Among the points to be emphasized as speakers address groups in the weeks to come is the human benefit realized by the county’s preserved lands program, said Jeanie Johnson, committee secretary. The more undeveloped land left in a natural state, the cleaner the air and the purer the water due to the photosynthesis performed by green life and the filtering quality of sandy soils, she said.
Then, there are the recreational aspects. On many preserved lands, passive human activity is encouraged, according to the setting. For instance, there are parcels suited to hiking, others ideal for fishing, and still others excellent for birding .
And, of course, preservation land provides habitat for wildlife, including several species considered threatened or endangered, Johnson said. “If we’re going to encourage eco-tourism in South Hillsborough County, we must have ‘eco’ for our visitors to see and experience,” she added.
The ballot issue for voters will be whether to continue the ELAPP endeavors initiated in 1987. Continuation of the program does not require new taxes, but maintains the historic level under which the land acquisition and preservation effort has operated for about 20 years – up to a quarter of a mill. For example, if a residential property has a market value of $150,000 and $50,000 is subtracted as the doubled homestead exemption, the taxable value becomes $100,000. A quarter mill of taxation on $100,000 of value is $25.00 annually.
The referendum, if approved by voters, would allow for issuing bonds to raise up to $200 million over a 30 year period. The debt then is repaid with the ELAPP portion of property taxes collected each year.
It is likely that the monies obtained through bonding would be phased in over a span of years, according to Kurt Gremley, ELAPP acquisitions manager. Currently, he added, about 40,000 acres of land around the county have been approved for ELAPP purchase. However, it is not expected that all 40,000 acres would be acquired, if voters affirm ELAPP continuation and the funds become available. On the other hand, in this economic climate it is possible more land might be purchased and at prices not to be seen again in the foreseeable future, the manager noted.
Moreover, there’s the matter of match funding, Smith added. It is possible to obtain matching monies from other agencies, but only if there is an ELAPP with which their partnership assistance can be matched, she emphasized.
Smith also noted the steering committee welcomes volunteers to help with the ELAPP continuation campaign. Anyone interested in distributing brochures or serving at the precincts can reach her by email at Jsmith6723@AOL.com using ELAPP in the subject line.
Passage of the ballot referendum to continue ELAPP requires a simple majority – anything over 50 percent.
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