Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on potential flooding:

Waterlogged Tampa Bay braces for Tropical Storm Erika — and more flooding

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Friday, August 28, 2015 8:40pm

Whether Tropical Storm Erika strengthens into a hurricane or dissipates into a tropical depression, it could still bring heavy rainfall to the area next week.

Which raises the question: Can an already water-logged Tampa Bay region take much more of this?

The answer, officials fear, is no.

“It wouldn’t take a lot of rain for us to get back to more flooding,” said Pasco County spokesman Doug Tobin. “It all depends on what we get, and that’s the concern right now.”

The bay area is just weeks removed from the record rainfall in late July and early August that flooded homes and roads, led to overflowing lakes and retention ponds, and caused wastewater facilities to spill. It even forced the Gandy Bridge to close — twice.

Pasco County, northwest Hillsborough County and northeast Pinellas County are still recovering from the deluge, which in some parts reached 2 feet of rain over a 20-day period. The Withlacoochee River in Pasco, for example, remained at 14 feet Friday, putting it in minor flood stage — and the river shows no signs of retreating below flood stage until next week.

More than 52 inches of rain has fallen on Tampa this year — 21 inches more than normal for this point in the calendar.

Now comes Erika, expected to hit southwest Florida on Monday and bring more rain to Tampa Bay next week as it travels up the peninsula. With nowhere for the water to go, it could quickly create dangerous conditions.

“If you had normal lake levels and normal conditions, you would see short-term flooding in different areas,” said John Lyons, Hillsborough County public works director. “However, because everything is still fairly saturated, lake levels are high, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen.

“High-volume water, no matter what level it comes in, won’t be helpful at all.”

How much rain will come is still unknown. WTSP 10Weather chief meteorologist Jim Van Fleet said to expect at least 2 to 8 inches of rain, but in certain areas, “training thunderstorms” — intense cells that come one after the other, like train cars — can create pockets of heavier rain.

It won’t help that today will bring substantial precipitation ahead of Erika, Van Fleet said, or that the storm may gather more moisture as it enters Tampa Bay’s soggy atmosphere.

“It could be just a couple hours before we run into flooding,” he said.

In Pasco County, 20 temporary pumps continue to flush water from flooded areas. Officials there are keeping a close eye on the Anclote River, which for weeks wreaked havoc in west Pasco County when it spilled over its banks, displacing dozens and causing major property damage.

The Anclote was well below flood stage Friday. But that could change quickly.

As evidence of the area’s vulnerability, flooding occurred as recently as Aug. 22 at the Crystal Lakes mobile home park in Pasco after a storm.

Roads were essentially cleared throughout Hillsborough County as of Friday afternoon, though temporary pumps remain in place. Lake levels remain dangerously high in areas like Lutz, Citrus Park and Keystone.

Southeast Hillsborough is in better shape because it saw less rainfall during July and August. Water levels in the Alafia River are falling, but the Brandon area remains susceptible because of a complex drainage system, Lyons said.

Pinellas County is keeping an especially close eye on the Brooker Creek area, which was heavily affected by the summer storms.

Residents in low-lying areas should prepare now, said Sally Bishop, Pinellas County’s emergency management director. Pinellas will open its Emergency Operation Center at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Some counties began handing out sandbags as early as Friday afternoon with plans to offer them to residents throughout the weekend. Additionally, public works employees are checking drains, grates and ditches to remove any blockage or debris.

“We just don’t know at this point what this storm is going to bring,” Bishop said.

There was one silver lining from the flooding earlier this summer: It helped point out weaknesses in county infrastructure and identify areas that emergency crews need to pay special attention to. And residents are more aware if they live in risk zones.

“I think this time now, people are a lot more prepared,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman said.

Gov. Rick Scott visited the Hillsborough County’s Emergency Operation Center on Friday. He acknowledged this part of the state faces unique difficulties from Erika.

While South Florida isn’t very saturated, the governor could not say the same of Tampa Bay.

“It looks like we’re going to get some water,” Scott said.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on Internal Auditor:

POLITICS

More political twists with Hillsborough’s auditor post

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff 
Published: August 25, 2015

TAMPA — Hillsborough County’s internal auditor position was approved by voters to increase efficiency in county government and save taxpayers’ dollars.

But since its creation in 2002, the office has been known more for the auditors’ miscues and feuds with other county officials. The first two auditors were fired, and it took the county more than a year to find a third one.

This week, the tradition continued as the chairman of the county commission revealed plans to hire a top employee away from the clerk of court’s office to fill the internal auditor post. The employee, Peggy Caskey, is director of county audit for the Clerk of Circuit Court, a separate agency under Clerk of Court Pat Frank.

Frank had loaned Caskey to the county commission after the last internal auditor, Michelle Leonhardt, quit in March. The arrangement was supposed to last three months.

On Monday, Frank fired off a memo to the county commissioners saying she needed Caskey back.

“We agreed we could spare her for a time but we needed to have some understanding about exactly what that time is going to be,” Frank said in an interview Monday. “It’s now exceeded. We’ve got to get our business done.”

But on Tuesday, when a reporter asked commission Chair Sandy Murman why it was taking so long to recruit someone for the post, Murman said she planned to hire Caskey to fill the auditor’s post. She plans on putting the proposal on the agenda for next Wednesday’s commission meeting.

Murman acknowledged she had not told Frank about her plans.

“We wanted to see how it worked out,” Murman said. “It all worked out good. She has a lot of great experience and a lot of great ideas.”

When Frank was told about Murman’s plan, she took it calmly.

“I had not heard from Peggy, but from others that she was trying to get a job with the county,” Frank said. “If somebody wants to advance themselves, I’m never opposed to that. They pay more money than we do.”

Caskey could not be reached for comment.

Andrew Graham, chairman of the commission’s Internal Audit Committee, said the county has not advertised the internal auditor position. Nor has the audit committee, which plays an advisory role, reviewed any resumes.

“The county moves very slowly,” Graham said. “We’re just a committee of volunteers with no budget. We look to the county commission.”

Graham said the last time the county launched a search for a new internal auditor, it took a year before the board hired Leonhardt. The state’s sunshine laws hamper the process, Graham said, because job applications are public records and interviews are done in public.

“It’s a long process and not an easy process,” he said. “A lot of it is because it’s all public and people don’t want their current employer to know they’ve been looking for other work.”

Murman said she wanted to avoid another long, expensive search.

“We feel like we have someone that has the experience and qualifications,” Murman said.

Voters approved the internal performance auditor in 2002. The auditor, who was independent of the county administrator, has the power to audit any county department with commission approval.

But the office has often been in the news because of infighting between the auditor and other county officials. The original job description called for the internal performance auditor to analyze the county budget, which created friction with the county administrator.

The first two auditors, Kathleen Matthews and Jim Barnes were fired. Barnes gave county officials headaches, taking eight trips out of town on the taxpayers’ dime when the county was running a budget deficit. During that time, Barnes produced only a handful of audits.

Barnes also discovered a 1 percent pay raise that then-County Administrator Pat Bean approved for herself with the support of former County Attorney Renee Lee. The raise, which county commissioners had not authorized, eventually cost Bean her job.

In November 2010, voters approved changes to the office recommended by Orlando internal auditor Richard Tarr. They included creating an audit committee and dropping the word “performance” from the job title. The charter amendment also eliminated budget analysis from the internal auditor’s duties.

The audit committee, which meets quarterly, was created to review the internal auditor’s work and to serve as buffer between the auditor and the commission.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on probation services:

Hillsborough commissioners choose sheriff over for-profit company to handle probation

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 11:26am

TAMPA — For-profit probation isn’t coming to Hillsborough County.

Commissioners on Wednesday resoundingly rejected a $7.2 million, three-year agreement for California-based Sentinel Offender Services to monitor the county’s misdemeanor probation population.

Instead, those duties will be handed to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, commissioners decided. The 6-0 vote was an uncommon acknowledgement from the Republican-controlled commission of a public agency’s prowess over the private sector.

“For me, generally, less government is good government,” Commissioner Victor Crist said. “But there are those unique situations where we have the resources that are underutilized that would be in the taxpayers’ best interest for us to capitalize on them.”

Commissioner Les Miller was not present at the meeting.

Wednesday’s decision ended a long, contentious process that began last year when the Salvation Army told the county it would stop providing probation services in Hillsborough County after four decades.

Sentinel won the bid in May over four vendors. The Sheriff’s Office had expressed interest in running those programs but backed out when the county decided to seek bids.

A vote to award Sentinel the contract was delayed in June after aTampa Bay Times story highlighted the company’s history in other states.

Sentinel is at the center of a national debate over whether governments should outsource probation programs.

A Human Rights Watch report last year accused Sentinel of running up excessive and debilitating fees on poor probationers. In Georgia, the state Supreme Court ruled some of Sentinel’s practices were illegal.

Those revelations concerned commissioners. In July, they asked Sheriff David Gee’s staff to come up with a plan to provide probation services, which includes monitoring and drug-testing misdemeanor offenders. Pinellas and Pasco counties hired their respective sheriffs to run these services in recent years.

Maj. Mike Perotti presented the sheriff’s proposal Wednesday. Commissioners quickly rallied around it.

“There are many benefits for the citizens here because of the collaboration you already have with all the agencies in our community,” Commissioner Sandy Murman said. “I think this offers a very practical solution.”

While private companies pocket profits, Perotti said the Sheriff’s Office can keep fees lower while reinvesting in rehabilitation. The Sheriff’s Office will start as the county’s vendor Oct. 1.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on flood assistance:

Hillsborough County authorizes using $5 million in emergency reserves to assist flood damage

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 1:27pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough County will spend up to $5 million to address storm damage and assist areas that remain flooded from heavy rains this summer, commissioners decided Wednesday.

The unanimous vote authorizes County Administrator Mike Merrill to tap into rarely used catastrophic disaster reserves as needed to assist flood victims. The reserve fund has $93.6 million in it.

Merrill is required to report back to the board how the money is spent. It will pay for public works projects related to the flooding.

“This fund, no pun intended, is a rainy day fund,” Commissioner Stacy White said. “That’s set aside exactly for this type” of disaster.

Hundreds of residents in low-lying areas remain affected weeks after the record rainfall. Aging stormwater infrastructure and persistent evening rainstorms have complicated recovery efforts.

One resident told commissioners Wednesday that parts of her north Hillsborough farm are under 10 feet of water and a boat is needed to reach and feed her horses.

Merrill estimated flood damage at $6 million so far, with $2 million of those costs incurred by the county and the rest to the city of Tampa.

“If we have residents in peril we should do something to help them,” Commissioner Sandy Murman said.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune column on new Tax Collector’s office:

COLUMN

Strike up the choir! Tax collector’s new office helps Drew Park comeback

By Joe Henderson | Tribune Staff
Published: August 19, 2015   |   Updated: August 19, 2015 at 09:02 AM

It must have been a little strange around the neighborhood Monday morning in Drew Park. I doubt the good people there expected to hear a full-throated and enthusiastic choir singing loud and proud. They especially wouldn’t have expected that outside the new Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office.

But there it was, an honest-to-goodness choir to serenade the usual suspects gathered to snip the ribbon on the new building where you can pay for your auto tag and other things. The singers were rockin’ folks from their foreheads to their shoe tops, and maybe making some people forget they had chosen to wear suit coats to an outdoor ceremony on an August morning in Florida.

That last vision is best left to your imagination.

This was a pretty big deal. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman were among the Very Important People there to celebrate the occasion with Tax Collector Doug Belden, who runs a seriously efficient ship with a priority toward customer service.

This office will help, and celebrating that is not a bad thing. Oh, and the new building has a cool replica of a P-51 Mustang fighter plane hanging from the ceiling, which brings us to another major part of this story.

This is the latest sign of a neighborhood revival in Drew Park, and that benefits everyone. It’s the result of a commitment by the city and county to concentrate resources on a grand old area that was teetering on disintegration not too many years ago.

“This was a viable neighborhood until it got infiltrated by the adult-use industry,” Buckhorn said. “This can be a solid, stable place. It can be an economic contributor to the greater community.”

There is some serious history there.

Drew Field, which occupied the land now used by Tampa International Airport, was a major training and aviation stronghold in West Tampa. Four squadrons of B-17 Flying Fortresses and dive bombers called it home, and German POWs were housed there as well. The end of World War II and the increased importance of MacDill Air Force Base led to the closure of Drew Field in 1946.

Heritage like that needs to be celebrated; hence, the P-51 replica in the new tax office. The comeback started well before that, though.

Tampa got a national reputation for strip clubs in the 1980s and that “adult-use industry” to which Buckhorn referenced set up shop in Drew Park, as the area is now known.

Even now, there is a big strip joint a couple of blocks up the street from the place of Monday’s celebration. The area is slowly taking on a new shape, though. It won’t turn into trendy Hyde Park or South Tampa, but its location so close to the airport makes it ideal for new businesses and jobs.

“It just takes leadership,” Murman said. “We have to be careful who we’re giving permits to in the future.”

They cut the ribbon and music played on and echoed into the neighborhood as staff and everyone celebrated the new building (and the air conditioning). Yes, it’s just a building, a place where people go to take care of business required by the state. A new tax collector’s office won’t turn a neighborhood around by itself.

The city didn’t lose the fight for Drew Park overnight. Winning it back will take some time.

One good building could lead to another, though.

That could lead to another, and maybe another. And when the streets don’t flood, and business owners know the location of their shop won’t scare off good workers, things change. Ten years from now, this area could look a lot better.

As Buckhorn said, “Drew Park doesn’t have to be known (now) for what it used to be known for. … It’s always a good day when we succeed.”

That’s worth singing about.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on high-speed ferry:

High-speed ferry delays fuel funding fight between Hillsborough County, project developers

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 18, 2015 11:13pm

TAMPA — A proposed high-speed ferry that would connect south Hillsborough County with MacDill Air Force Base faces new delays that could push the project’s timeline into the next decade.

Those delays also have generated a rift over how to fund the ferry between public officials and the private business interests behind the project.

The ferry’s backers — who want to serve MacDill personnel who live in south Hillsborough and work on base — hoped it would be operational by the end of 2018. But requirements to unlock a $4.8 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant for the project will take longer to fulfill than first expected.

Now, Ed Turanchik, a former county commissioner and lawyer representing the two companies behind the proposal, doesn’t expect ferries to start transporting people until 2021.

“It’s discouraging,” Turanchik said. “It’s been one big step backward and no steps forward.”

County officials confirmed that the complicated timeline for the project changed within the last few weeks. They hoped an environmental and site study required by the federal government could be completed in 12 to 18 months. However, federal regulators recently informed local officials that those studies typically take 18 months to two years.

The county received $475,000 from the federal government to complete that study.

After the site review, there’s a permitting phase that can take anywhere from one to two years. And then, construction of the docks and the boats would add another year.

A best-case scenario would have the project completed in 2019. But now, some say it could take until 2021.

The bureaucratic hurdles tied to the federal money are causing too many delays, Turanchik said, and he wonders if the county should forgo the federal grant and instead pay for the entire project with local funds.

“It’s nice to have it,” he said, “but if it results in the project increasing in costs or if economic and time losses far exceed the value of the federal contribution, you really start asking the question whether it’s worth the effort.

“This is not our call, but it’s almost getting to the point of saying, ‘Thank you, but no thank you.’ “

The county, which is already responsible for the $24 million needed to construct the docks and parking lots and buy the ferry boats, shot down any talk of forgoing federal funding.

“It might slow the process down, but it’s a big expensive project that we need federal money to make work,” said Mike Williams, who manages engineering and construction services for Hillsborough County.

“It’s worth jumping through those hoops to get the money.”

Turanchik said ferries could be up and running in 2½ years if all the funding was local.

Williams disputed that. For security purposes, the Department of Defense would expect a much more thorough review for any route that includes MacDill, he said.

Once the project is launched, HMS Ferries Inc. and South Swell Development Group LLC would be in charge of operating expenses. There’s another reason why the federally mandated review concerns ferry investors. They had identified Schultz Park in the Gibsonton area as the proposed spot for the main south Hillsborough terminal.

However, by law, the site review cannot give preference to one location, and any tentative arrangements to make a Schultz Park terminal were halted.

Some environmentalists have raised concern about the Schultz spot because its on sensitive land and federally protected manatees populate that area. It’s also possible that the environmental study would find that site — and, for that matter, the three other sites being considered — unworkable.

The federal funding isn’t the only piece where ferry backers and the county are at odds. There’s also debate over how the county would pay for its share.

A high-speed ferry is included in the package of projects that could be funded by Go Hillsborough, the proposed sales tax increase to fund transportation that will go to a referendum in 2016. If county voters reject the referendum, however, the future of the ferry would become even more uncertain.

Turanchik contends that the ferry proposal is a popular project that preceded Go Hillsborough, so the project shouldn’t be dependent on what the electorate decides in 2016.

But Hillsborough commissioners aren’t ready to give the project priority over other transportation needs if Go Hillsborough doesn’t pass next year.

“If we don’t have the amount of money we need for the ferry project, we’ll have to look at scaling it back to one boat or a pilot program,” Commissioner Sandy Murman said. “But I don’t think it’s appropriate to speculate on that right now because we just don’t have the information.

“I just want to keep moving forward to get it going.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on new jobs:

BUSINESS NEWS

Tampa company adds 108 jobs at Port Redwing

By Yvette C. Hammett | Tribune Staff
Published: August 18, 2015

APOLLO BEACH — When Tampa Tank and Florida Structural Steel moved to Port Redwing three months ago, the company didn’t wait for electricity at the site.

Employees set up generators and got to work building a four-span drawbridge going to Miami, a pedestrian bridge going to Austin and the world’s largest coal conveyor system headed for Louisiana.

So far, the 63-year-old homegrown company has added 33 of an expected 108 jobs to accommodate the string of projects it has in the works, including three steel bridges that will be part of the I-4 Ultimate project — a rebuild of Interstate 4 through Orlando.

Gov. Rick Scott and an entourage of local officials visited the 25-acre site Tuesday to congratulate the company and its employees and to tout the jobs created since the governor took office four and a half years ago.

“It’s fun to watch all the things getting built here,” the governor said, after touring the operation with Tampa Tank CEO David Hale. Growing jobs in Florida is “a team sport,” Scott said and it took the whole team to get Tampa Tank to expand close to home, instead of moving to another state or to the Bahamas.

The deal included giving the company property tax breaks for expanding on a brownfield and state and county incentives to grow its workforce. Tampa Tank plans to add 24 jobs at its headquarters in Ybor City and 84 jobs at Port Redwing, where it will also invest $18 million in capital and infrastructure improvements.

The Tampa region, in the past year, has added 32,900 jobs and dropped the unemployment rate to 5.3 percent, the governor said. “Every job we add changes somebody’s life.”

Tampa Tank is expected to be the first business in a steel cluster Port Tampa Bay is attempting to coordinate on land available at Port Redwing, a portion of the port just north of the Tampa Electric Big Bend Power Station along Tampa Bay.

The location works well for the company, Hale said, because it gives Tampa Tank the ability to ship its finished products by rail, ship or truck.

Many of the company’s projects involve exporting, recently to places like Saudi Arabia, Africa, Panama and Freeport, Bahamas, he said.

“Obviously, we’re here because we’re going to build a huge manufacturing hub here at Port Redwing,” said Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman. “Tampa Tank is leading the charge to attract importing and exporting” and will draw more ships from the Panama Canal to Port Tampa Bay, she said. “I’m excited to be part of it and I can’t wait for the next announcement from Port Redwing.” Murman sits on the Tampa Port Authority board.

“It’s all about growing our exports,” said Rick Homans, president and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp., which helped broker Tampa Tank’s move to Port Redwing. “We build things here and sell them around the world.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Elevate Tampa blog entry on Jamie Meloni’s radio show:

Lets Talk Tampa with County Commissioner, Sandy Murman

Tampa listeners were able to get an inside view of the Tampa community buzz. Jamie Meloni, radio host of “That Business Show,” welcomed County Commissioner, Sandy Murman, onto the show to talk about what is happening in the Tampa Bay community. Listeners had the opportunity to listen to Murman talk about the summer flooding that’s been happening, and the commissioners’ plans for economic development and transportation.

Murman began the segment saying, ”this flooding is a 100 year event with over 20 inches of rain in such a short period of time.” She explained how everyone is working overtime to assist citizens who are suffering from all of this rain. Later offering her phone number, 813-272-5470, for anyone to call if they have flooding concerns and her office will direct them to services that will be able to help. As always, Murman reminded listeners to stay safe with standing water because a lot of the water is full of bacteria being brought up from full sewer systems. She advised citizens not to walk in or drive through water.

For the second half of the segment, Sandy Murman spoke about the economic development that citizens of Tampa can expect to see in the near future. She said that, “transportation and economic development go hand and hand and that we want our community to be #1.” Tampa is excited to see what Jeff Vinik has planned for the Port and the commissioners are working to help develop the area around the University of South Florida, Moffit, and Busch Gardens. The goal is to develop these areas and bring 90,000 jobs to citizens. Part of the development plan is to improve the city’s transit system. The commissioners have been talking to citizens and will be having eighty more meetings in the community to hear how residents hope we can bring better transportation and development to the area.

If you’re a business owner or just someone looking to get involved and have a voice in the community, Murman suggests joining the Tampa Innovation Alliance. You can visit their website at http://tampainnovation.com.

To watch Jamie and Sandy Murman’s conversation, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j35TnuhXVvo. Follow Sandy Murman on Twitter @SandyMurman to see all the ways Tampa is changing.

As always, remember to tune in to That Business Show with Jamie Meloni, weekday mornings from 8-9am on 1250 AM.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on ELAPP:

Hillsborough County’s popular, voter-approved land preservation program running out of money

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Saturday, August 8, 2015 9:43pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough County’s popular land conservation program is in danger of running out of money. And its leadership blames the county.

Nearly 80 percent of voters in 2008 approved a referendum to give up to $200 million to the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program to purchase pristine, sensitive land for preservation. But after an initial funding of $59.5 million, the county has not contributed any more, and now only $4 million of unallocated money remains in the pot.

“It’s a disgrace,” said former Commissioner Jan Platt, for whom the program is named. “What are they waiting for, another referendum or the next election to kick them out because they ignored the referendum?”

The program was created by referendum in 1987. Three years later, residents voted to extend it for 20 years and fund it with up to $100 million. Both times it passed with at least 70 percent of the vote.

The 1990 referendum included a 25 cent tax on every $1,000 worth of property to pay for bonds issued to buy the lands. But in 2008, commissioners declined to tie a tax increase to a renewal referendum, meaning subsequent county boards would have to find a way to fund any bonding on their own.

Now, after passing the first stormwater fee increase since 1991 and with a sales tax hike for transportation potentially on the horizon, there’s little appetite from commissioners to raise taxes for land conservation. Last month they shot down a proposal from two of their own — Commissioners Les Miller and Stacy White — to give $15 million of the county’s $23 million BP oil spill settlement to ELAPP.

Here’s one problem: Opinions differ on what voters approved in 2008.

ELAPP’s most ardent supporters believe it was a mandate to set aside $200 million to protect the environment. Jan Smith, ELAPP chairwoman, noted that the referendum passed overwhelmingly “when the economy was in such a tremendous downturn.”

In pushing for a referendum at the bottom of the housing market free-fall, supporters hoped the county could get a good bargain on land purchases.

Asked if she thought the county was upholding the spirit of the referendum, Smith offered a terse, “No.”

But the language of the 2008 referendum is less definitive. It said the county could bond up to $200 million to acquire and secure lands for conservation, but there wasn’t a timetable to spend the money. The only stipulation was that any bonds issued to purchase lands must be paid off within 30 years.

County Administrator Mike Merrill said he viewed the $200 million as “a cap,” not a guaranteed amount that had to be spent. With the county still recovering from the recession, he said Hillsborough could not afford more than its initial investment.

“While voters enthusiastically approved it, taxpayers also expect us to be able to manage this within the context of everything we do,” Merrill said.

Merrill said the county already is struggling to fund maintenance, including controlled burns and wildlife preservation, for the 61,500 acres acquired by ELAPP during its 28-year existence. It costs the county about $2.5 million annually to maintain those properties, he said, and those expenses by law can’t be charged to ELAPP.

“The question I have asked the ELAPP supporters directly: How much is enough?” Merrill said. “I haven’t gotten a good answer to that.”

Smith told the Tampa Bay Times that ELAPP has identified 27,000 acres of land worth acquiring. With an average price tag of $4,000 per acre, that would require about $108 million, though not all of those parcels are available for purchase.

There are still expectations on the board that a revenue stream — but not a tax increase — is possible before the budget is finalized in September.

White, a Republican who represents rural east Hillsborough, said he expects to unveil a new proposal within six weeks to fund and “revitalize” ELAPP.

Part of the discussion, Merrill said, is determining whether there are revenue opportunities from the preserved lands. So-called carbon credits are one option.

There’s a small but emerging market of companies and organizations looking to meet self-imposed social responsibility objectives. They could pay the county to set aside lands that would reduce Hillsborough’s carbon footprint to meet their own corporate or organizational goals.

Another possibility would be to allow some tourism on conservation sites.

“Take out the revenue side for a moment,” Merrill said. “Taxpayer money has been used to acquire this. Taxpayers ought to have passive usage even to walk the property with a guide, not camp or start fires or hunt, just experience these sites that are magnificent.”

Many of the parcels earmarked for preservation are contiguous, and the county can better take advantage of that by ensuring connecting parks are well-kept, Commissioner Sandy Murman said.

“People overwhelmingly approved that amendment,” Murman said. “That was the message and we can’t forget or lose sight of what that message was.

“We can’t put it on the shelf and come back to it in 20 or 30 years.”