Join Wild Spaces - Public Places, a citizen-led effort to protect natural resources and improve public recreational facilities in Alachua County.
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Since 2000, our land conservation program, Alachua County Forever, has preserved 13,000 acres valued at $63 million. It did this with $21 million in local dollars through effective partnerships, and today, we have nature preserves in every quadrant of the County, including big, wild, and connected properties as well as urban greenspace. The majority of these preserves are, or will soon be open to the public. Alachua County Forever has delivered on its promises, but its work is not done.
The "Wild Spaces - Public Places" referendum is a one-half cent sales tax, for only two years. It will raise about $40 million - more than Alachua County Forever would in twenty years of property tax millage. The "Wild Spaces" half of the funds will provide about $17 million to Alachua County's land conservation priorities, and almost $3 million more to the City of Gainesville's land conservation efforts.
The "Public Places" half of the funding will be split between all the cities and the county for their recreation improvements. Each program has provided a specific list of park projects on which the funds must be spent. The City of Gainesville and Alachua County are also sharing in the development cost of a senior recreation center to be built at Northside Park, which is eligible for state matching funds.
We need the strong support of the conservation community for this campaign to succeed. This may not be the best time to ask for a tax increase, no matter how modest - but it is a great time to be purchasing real estate and renovating or building facilities. The sales tax does not apply to food, pharmaceuticals, motor fuel, and most services. If the half cent sales tax is approved by the voters, Alachua County's tax rate will still be lower than all of our surrounding counties which have had this infrastructure surtax in place for years; indeed, only eight counties in Florida do not have the voter-approved sales surtax. A significant portion of the sales tax is paid by shoppers and visitors from outside the County.
With warm regards,
Robert Hutchinson & Jack Hughes
Photo by Mac Stone
