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Land Fits Cockroach Bay Preserve Like A Puzzle Piece

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 18, 2008

SUN CITY - There was a time when Pat Milam envisioned a retirement home on the 53 acres he once owned along the edge of Cockroach Bay.

When illness came knocking, though, plans changed. Milam sold the tract last year to Hillsborough County's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program. But not before returning it to its former glory.

A tiny cabin, built there around the turn of the 20th century, still stands amid the cabbage palms and wild flowers. Before selling the land to the county for preservation, Milam propped up the cabin and replaced the roof.

"It's the last connection on the coastal corridor that runs from Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve south to the Manatee County line," said Hillsborough County Conservation Manager Ross Dickerson. "It helps connect the entire corridor."

Richard Sullivan, who manages the aquatic preserve, said he couldn't be happier to have it.

"All these native plants came back on their own after Pat cleared this property," Sullivan said, walking with Milam across the expanse of soggy ground, filled with native grasses, ferns and trees. "This is the way it is supposed to look."

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