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Florida Leaders Must Confront Backlog Of Local Park Needs

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 22, 2007

State and local leaders suffered sticker shock on seeing the $10.5 billion price tag attached to the needs of Florida's local parks.

But policymakers should remember this: Parks are a smart investment. Ecotourism is the fastest growing sector of tourism, attracting more and more visitors to Florida.

A study last year found state parks pump nearly $1 billion into local economies each year. This is direct impact, money spent by park operations and out-of-town visitors.

At the same time, natural lands serve the public in others ways, storing and filtering water, recharging the aquifer, sustaining wildlife and helping communities avert growth problems.

As Florida Senate President Ken Pruitt put it, "Florida's parks and recreation departments are accommodating growth, encouraging active living and improving community health, mitigating juvenile crime and, in many cases, providing a social center for neighbors."

Everyone should be concerned to learn $10.5 billion is needed to address immediate needs and prepare for growth at local and regional parks.

The study was sponsored by the Trust for Public Land, the Florida Recreation and Park Association, the Florida League of Cities and the Florida Association of Counties.

Land acquisition represents the biggest cost, at $4.36 billion. The report underscores the importance of bolstering Florida's land-acquisition programs, which partner with local governments to buy wilderness areas and urban parks.

Florida lawmakers, alas, rejected Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal last spring to increase by $100 million funding for the Florida Forever land preservation and conservation program. The fund receives about $300 million a year in documentary stamp taxes, but given land costs these days, it's quickly depleted.

Bolstering the program would allow state and local officials to take advantage of the slow real estate market.

Similarly, local governments must beef up funding for land acquisition. Hillsborough County residents should be proud of their foresight. Voters 20 years ago approved the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, which uses a small property tax levy (up to a quarter-mill) to buy environmentally important lands.

It costs the average homeowner less than $50 a year and has preserved more than 43,600 acres.

The program will run out in 2011 and another referendum will be necessary to continue it.

With an estimated $50 million needed for additional acreage in Hillsborough parks, voters should see the wisdom of investing in public lands.

Investing in parks - adding ball fields, playgrounds, picnic shelters and such - is not a frivolous expense. It helps make a community feel like home to families of all incomes.

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