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Hillsborough Preservation Plan Up For Renewal

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2008

TAMPA - Environmentalists are hiking from one corner of Hillsborough County to another, beating paths to organizations they hope will back an extended land preservation program.

If voters don't extend funding for the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, there won't be money to purchase and protect sensitive land, the environmentalists say.

The program runs through 2010, but voters will be asked Nov. 4 to decide whether to continue it. The initiative seeks to extend a special property tax levy of up to 25 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value. That's about $50 a year for a $225,000 house with a homestead exemption. The program uses the same tax levy now.

"The idea behind all these meetings is to reach out to the people, explain to them what ELAPP is and why it's so important we leave this legacy of public land to our children and grandchildren," said Jan Smith, one of the leaders of the initiative.

For information, go to www. preservehillsborough.org.

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