Osceola County hopes voters embrace land conservation tax
After 20 years of paying a special property tax for land conservation, Osceola County voters will decide in November whether they want to keep doing it.
The tax-funded program has conserved 3,300 acres, county officials say, including important lands such as Shingle Creek Regional Park; Brownie Wise Park, where the county plans to build the region’s first Pulse memorial; and Lake Runnymede Conservation area, which plays a critical water management role because its wetlands absorb excess rainfall.
Supporters say the program helps manage growth, control congestion and reduce flooding, common concerns for county residents. But opponents say they have lost trust in the county’s land conservation efforts after it allowed a toll road to slice off a 160-acre piece of once-protected Split Oak Forest.
Robert C. Dent, former campaign manager for SAVE (Save And Value Environment) Osceola, the citizen effort that got the original referendum on the 2004 ballot, said he will vote for the extension of the program, but acknowledges the mistrust.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/15/osceola-county-hopes-voters-embrace-land-conservation-tax/