ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns River meanders along the edge of Alpine Groves Park. Moss dangles from the tree limbs. Walking trails meander through the woods.
It is land purchased by St. Johns County, years ago under something called the Land Acquisition Management Program or LAMP.
However, when the recession hit in 2008, the county put the land buying program. More than a decade later, the program is taking wing again.
"It’s fabulous. I am so excited this has finally happened," Jane West of St. Augustine said.
West is the Policy and Planning Director for 1000 Friends of Florida. She is thrilled St. Johns County commissioners voted this week to reinstate the program to buy land with the goal of conserving it.
Jeb Smith was the only St. Johns County Commissioner who voted against restarting the program.
During Tuesday's meeting, he listed several reasons why he did not support the move.
"This removes taxable property from the roll," Smith County. "Hence, the tax burden shifts to other property owners."
The county will set aside $500,000 every year to buy environmentally significant land from willing sellers.
"Quite frankly our land values are through the roof right now. $500,000 just does not get you what it used to just a mere year ago," West noted.
However, she said there are opportunities for matching funds at the state organizations.
"They want to see the local governments put their skin in the game," West added. "But the fact that we have money on the table now, we can leverage that to get even more money from the state."
St. Johns is the second fastest-growing county in Florida. With trees being cut down and neighborhoods going up, untouched land is growing scarce.
"We have these environmental ecological swaths of land that we still have a chance to save before it’s all gobbled up in sprawl," West said.