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State land buy benefits Hillsborough
By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 12, 2001
In a move that will bolster Hillsborough County's ability to purchase public land, the state agreed Tuesday to buy 951 acres the county owns near the Alafia River for $1.5-million.
The decision by Gov. Jeb Bush and the Cabinet means Hillsborough will recoup half the $3.1-million it spent acquiring the land between 1990 and 1995, said Rob Heath, environmental supervisor for the county Parks and Recreation Department.
The money will be reinvested in Hillsborough's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program. The program has enough money to purchase one of its top priority sites, he said. The $1.5-million might allow the county to buy two of the target tracts if deals can be negotiated, he said.
The 951 acres is part of an area rich in hardwoods and endangered wildlife, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. So far, Heath said, private landowners have balked at selling the remaining 378 acres.
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