more of the alafia to remain wild
jasonIn February I wrote about the great job Hillsborough County ELAPP is doing. The Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program and its Manager Kurt Gremley have a difficult job, and in my eyes have been quite successful at protecting some sensitive lands.
They are at it again, this time purchasing a huge swath of riverfront land owned by the Gooch family near Plant City. This is one piece of the Alafia River area that the ELAPP has long been pursuing for conservation.
Although they sold it for well under appraised market value, don’t worry about the Gooches. That $8.52 million they are pocketing will get them thrugh the tough times ahead.
Maybe we could get the county to buy certain other properties to keep people out or just keep other entities from screwing the place up.
Tags: citizens, county, development, environment, tampa
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July 19th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Why doncha ask them what they do with the properties once they purchase them? I will tell you: slap up a sign that says “Property of Hillsborough County No Trespassing.” I’ll take and post a few photos of the stretches of the Alafia that have been basically put off limits by lands aquisition. Nice to protect the pristine area from development but then to just let it sit there, allowing no public access? I wouldn’t be so quick to congratulate them until they make public a plan for the actual USE of the protected lands. Canoeing or tubing anyone?
July 19th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
uhhhhh, they aren’t buying land for a park you know that right?
July 19th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Sandy, I agree in theory. Since taxpayers bought the land, we should be able to use it. But all it takes is a few morons dumping their trash (or hell, even their couches, broken automobiles, tires, refrigerators, etc) and the area is no longer suitable for recreation use. Then it becomes another taxpayer liability, because someone has to clean up after these slobs. Sometimes public access to protected land is not such a good idea — not always, mind you, but sometimes public access ends up defeating the purpose of acquiring the land in the first place — to protect it.
July 20th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
You can access ELAP properties - you just need to ask for permission.
July 21st, 2006 at 10:40 am
Jason, I realize that ELAP doesn’t acquire land for parks. That would be an example of what NOT to do. And if ELAP will let you access properties, why don’t thay make it a little easier? This “one bad apple” thing gets really annoying. Sure, all it take is one bad apple and I guess that means that the rest of us decent apples will have to continue to hike, bike, etc. through sterilized parks lands. It’s just that it never used to be like this until the Great Migration Without End. Now, thanks to the influx of people who don’t respect our state’s wonders, everyone gets to enjoy less of it (unless you’re wealthy and own nice tracts of private undeveloped land–less likely in these days). I guess I’m just homesick for what was, what could have been and what will never be again.