Pasco County just spent more than a million in tax dollars to protect two plots of land from future development.

  • Purchase completed through Environmental Lands Acquisition Program
  • Funds provided by "Penny For Pasco" tax
  • Purchase will expand Crews Lake Wilderness Park by 100 acres
  • BAY NEWS 9+, NEWS 13+ APPS UPGRADED: The new releases have a block-style layout that makes it easier to navigate, as well as an added section for Attractions Insider. A new weather section includes hour-by-hour forecasts and marine buoy data. Update your app today!

One of the two purchased plots is 19 acres south of the Hillsborough River and east of the Paul Buchman Highway. The other is 97 acres south of Crews Lake Wilderness Park.

The county paid $97,000 for the 19-acre plot, while the larger plot cost $1 million.

The purchase was completed through the Environmental Lands Acquisition Program. Since 2005, the program has protected more than a thousand acres across the area.

County Natural Resources Manager Keith Wiley said buying land for conservation actually helps Pasco to grow.

"At the end of the day it helps make Pasco become a great place to be," Wiley said. "A great place has smart growth. But it also has great environmental stewardship."

The funds for the purchase came from the "Penny For Pasco" tax.

Under the rules of the program, the land will stay protected from development, but will also be open for folks to use for recreational activities such as hiking or kayaking.

"The goal there would be to protect the resource to allow for passive recreational use to let the public enjoy what we’re doing," Wiley said.

The lot purchased near Crews Lake Wilderness Park will expand the park's current allotment by about 100 acres.