Manatee and Pasco Counties Propose Environmental Lands Programs

COVERING TAMPA BAY AND ITS WATERSHED

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Filling The Gap
Manatee and Pasco Counties Propose Environmental Lands Programs
by Victoria Parsons

From Hernando County south to the Florida Keys, local governments on Florida's west coast have created permanent funding sources for environmental preservation - with the exception of Pasco and Manatee counties. A broad coalition of supporters in both counties is hoping to change that with referendums scheduled for the March 9 presidential primary.

"This is absolutely the threshold moment where we must be ready to seriously pursue the preservation of environmentally significant lands," says Charlie Hunsicker, ecosystem director for Manatee County. "If we don't start buying it now, we won't be able to afford it in the future."

In Pasco, the referendum follows recommendations of a county task force which brought together a wide range of stakeholders - from scientists and business leaders to farmers and fishermen. "Once we sat down together, we all agreed that we needed to start purchasing environmentally sensitive lands immediately," said Jennifer Seney, founder of a political action committee created to support an environmental lands referendum.

"It's a citizen-led initiative," adds Allen Altman, owner of the Farm Bureau insurance agency in Pasco County. "We did our research first and considered all the pros and cons, which is why we have the unanimous support of the county commission, the school board and elected officials in all six municipalities."

Along with incredible spurts of growth and rapidly rising land costs in both counties, questions about international competition have made farmers more likely to sell out to developers, Hunsicker said. "Farmers who may have once held onto their acreage in anticipation of future good markets in vegetables and citrus are worried about import tariffs, so they're more likely to pursue opportunities to market their property to large housing corporations."

From an ecosystem perspective, it's critical that Pasco and Manatee begin purchasing environmentally sensitive land soon, adds Sue Mullins, a sixth-generation Pasco native who now works as government relations manager for The Nature Conservancy in Tallahassee. "Manatee and Pasco counties are particularly important because they still have pristine wilderness areas where there's biological diversity and a full range of species that all contribute to the greater ecological health of the system."

Pasco's dry seasonal prairies and cypress domes are critical to a number of plants and animals - as well as human water supplies, Mullins said. "The vast open landscapes in Pasco County are home to many large-ranging mammals like bobcats and bears that are incredibly important."

Manatee's rivers, high-quality mangroves and bird sanctuaries are essential to animals ranging from manatees and birds to shrimp and mollusks that play a key role in the food chain, she adds. "As Florida's coastal areas are developed, there's a lot less habitat for birds and aquatic creatures."

Sometimes known as the "guru" of environmental lands programs in Florida, Mullins has been instrumental in the passage of referendums in eight counties, including Collier and Alachua. "Nationally, 75% of local land initiatives have passed in the last five years, compared to only 33% for other initiatives," she said. "These issues really enjoy bipartisan support and the key is a local pot of money, local criteria, and local people."

Supporters in both counties are confident that voters will approve the initiatives. In Pasco, a series of polls show that voters support the multiple aims of the new revenue, Altman adds. "School congestion and traffic are the top two issues in Pasco, number three and four are growth control and environmental land acquisition. The best way to control growth is an environmental lands program so we've combined the top four issues in Pasco County to make them part of the penny sales tax."

Manatee voters have supported three separate referendums for environmental lands purchases by margins as high as 58 and 72%, Hunsicker said. "People understand that we're voting for our future, taking back what we've been permitting away for development."

While neither county has compiled a list of properties they hope to purchase with the new funding, both have developed a list of criteria and priorities. In Pasco, those criteria are:

Protect the quality and quantity of drinking water and wetlands
Focus on connecting large public preserves by acquiring natural corridors
Protect and conserve remaining natural communities
Enhance and encourage public recreational and education opportunities

In Manatee, they are:

Potential for partnerships and grants
Rarity of natural resources and the quality of those resources
Endangerment due to development potential
Ease of acquisition/willing sellers
Assessed value relative to environmental value
Connectivity for wildlife and human movement

And while the Manatee criteria don't list recreation as a top priority, the 1/2-cent sales tax is actually split three ways with a separate budget for recreational facilities, including parks, greenways, sidewalks and boat ramps, Hunsicker notes.

The bottom line in both counties is quality of life for residents and wildlife, which results in long-term benefits, adds Cliff Walters, a corporate attorney who helped set up a political action campaign to support the referendum in Manatee County (see Cliff Walters' profile). "Look at places like Boulder, Colo., where greenways, trails and vistas were planned early on. Residents are reaping economic benefits now because it's a better place to live. It's a win-win for everyone."