ELAPP Plays Key Role In Protecting Natural Resources in Hillsborough County

Over the past 20 years, more than 50 environmentally sensitive tracts have been permanently protected through ELAPP. At least seven of those parcels lie within the Hillsborough River watershed and comprise nearly 6,600 acres. All of these naturally vegetated areas protect the quality of the drinking water sources downstream.

The 2547-acre Cypress Creek Preserve at the apex of I-275 and I-75 is part of an extensive wildlife corridor extending northwards into Pasco County and providing a dispersal route for several rare and endangered species. Further downstream, the 118-acre Temple Terrace Riverfront Park, purchased by ELAPP with assistance from the Florida Communities Trust, supports a healthy and diverse wildlife population in an urban setting. It’s another example of how ELAPP administrators have stretched the buying power of ELAPP funds by securing matching funds from state sources such as the Florida Communities Trust.

Of the $206 million expended by ELAPP for land preservation since its inception, $76 million or 38 percent has been funded from other sources.

ELAPP was created with a 1987 referendum that called for the pay-as-you-go purchase of environmentally sensitive lands. Three years later, voters approved a bond referendum by 73 percent authorizing the expenditure of up to $100 million. Over the last 20 years, ELAPP has acquired over 44,700 acres of land protecting some of Hillsborough’s most important natural areas and water resources.

Earlier this year, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners accepted the recommendation of its ELAPP citizen advisory committee and voted unanimously to place a referendum on the November 4 ballot asking voters for authority to issue up to $200 million in bonds to acquire and preserve lands which protect wildlife habitat, drinking water sources, and water quality of rivers, lakes and bays.

ELAPP has earned the strong support of nearly every resident in Hillsborough County familiar with the program. Not only has it protected many of the county’s environmental gems, it has also been competently administered and has an impressive track record. A citizen advisory committee oversees the program and advises county commissioners on all purchasing and management decisions.  An annual audit, available to the public, provides for public oversight and ensures the funds are spent as citizens intended. Land is only purchased from willing sellers on a voluntary basis.

Continuation of the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program will not increase the annual tax burden on property owners. This is a continuation of the existing program and not a new tax.

With continued growth and development in Hillsborough County and the dwindling amount of natural lands, ELAPP helps balance new development with land preservation to ensure that a legacy of old Florida will be left to our children and grandchildren.