A proposal to sell land to a developer has raised local opposition in Florida's Hernando County, where the Greater Tampa Bay Scouting Council is attempting to sell 604 acres of the Sand Hill Scout Reservation.
Here's what to know
The Sand Hill Scout Reservation spans more than 1,300 acres atop an aquifer that feeds the Weeki Wachee River. According to Fox 13, the Greater Tampa Bay Area Scouting Council wants the option to sell 604 acres of it.
Under the proposal, the local outlet reported that the sold land could be opened to commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily development. The Scouting Council says proceeds from a sale would be used for infrastructure work and Scouting programs.
An early-October meeting on the topic brought a large crowd to Nativity Lutheran Church in North Weeki Wachee, where hundreds of residents, Scouts, and environmental advocates gathered.
Fox 13 reported that Coastal Engineering, which is representing the Greater Tampa Bay Area Scouting Council, hosted the public meeting as part of a proposed comprehensive plan amendment. That amendment would help decide whether the land can move from its current use to one that allows more intensive development.
Marousa Placiotis Rodriguez, an organizer with the group Keep Weeki Wild, raised the issue of the aquifer at the gathering.
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"This Sand Hill reservation sits on top of the aquifer that feeds our Weeki Wachee River. So it has a detrimental effect on wildlife, for our river," Rodriguez said, per Fox 13.
More background
Environmental groups say the Sand Hill site also includes ecologically sensitive caves and springs in addition to the vital aquifer. Fox 13 reported that such features have drawn the attention of advocacy groups such as the Sierra Club and the National Speleological Society's Cave Diving Section, both of which are trying to protect the area by keeping the amendment from passing.
Fred Stratton of the National Speleological Society told the news outlet that the proposed development could negatively impact every resident of Hernando County, as the county's water supply involves the potentially impacted area.
According to Fox 13, the Scouts acquired the property in 1978 when the former owner left it to the Scouts in his will.
Information presented at the meeting said the will specified that the land would become a county park if the Scouts no longer wanted it. However, a discrepancy later found between the deed and the will appears to have left the Scouts with the legal wiggle room to sell the property.
Where can I learn more?
The debate over Sand Hill echoes other fights over development near sensitive land. These stories cover habitat protection battles, conservation easements, and neighborhood pushback:
• A family secured a land preservation deal to keep the community's open space undeveloped in Florida.
• In Portland, neighbors had their antennae up over major development near Oaks Bottom.
• In Mendocino County, PG&E's conservation easements donation blocked development across endangered species habitat.
• In Colorado, a ranch owner made a transformative decision to preserve 675 acres.
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