STUART, Fla. — Martin County is preparing to invest in lands for conservation.
At a commissioners meeting Tuesday, the county established a committee that will oversee the purchases.
Martin County takes steps to protect land after half-cent sales tax approved
At Shepard Park in Stuart, Elizabeth Macdowell and her friends took in what nature has to offer.
“You hear animals and you hear birds — oh my god, it’s wonderful,” said Macdowell.
She doesn’t want to see development destroy any more natural lands.
"It’s what makes it — absolutely makes it special. This is what makes people want to live here," she said.
It’s why Macdowell and 64% of voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase that will fund the purchase of lands for conservation in Martin County.
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"I think that people are willing to pay to preserve their way of life," Macdowell said.
Merritt Matheson with Martin County Forever explained that protecting land plays an important role in our region.
“Specifically, those conservation lands help clean our waterways,” he said.
He said he is proud of how many people are in favor of the effort. He believes the passage of the referendum speaks volumes about the community’s priorities.
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“Martin County is a special place because of conservation and preserving and respecting our environment,” said Matheson.
The county estimates the sales tax increase to produce $223 million over the next 10 years. They said much of the purchased land could be used by the public.
“Primarily they’ll be large tracts of land that’ll be open for passive recreation,” said John Maehl, environmental resource administrator for Martin County.
The next step is for the county to select nine individuals to sit on the "Environmental Lands Oversight Committee" that evaluates which lands to purchase.
Matheson said he's confident that the tax dollars will be used for what they were intended for.
“They can sound the alarm if they see something out of the ordinary that's not following what the voters approve,” he added.
