Traditionally, land preservation in Florida has been a long tale of lost battles to save a disappearing paradise. Not always though, sometimes, occasionally, a piece of old Florida is preserved. When that happens, it feels like a huge victory because it is. Such is the case with Tampa’s W. Kent Bailey Hiking Trail, the largest tract of conservation land in Hillsborough County. Former Sierra Club chair, Kent Bailey, led the charge to safeguard the undeveloped 12,800 acre property amid Hillsborough’s booming development. Bailey passed away in 2020 but his legacy is in those woods. Proof that sometimes you can fight city hall and win.
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