Pasco County purchased 67.5 acres along Ehren Cutoff in Land O' Lakes to connect three existing conservation areas, the county announced Oct. 22.

The property will link the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Connor Preserve to the northwest, Cypress Creek Preserve to the southeast and the Connerton to Cypress Creek Ecological Corridor, according to the county's social media post. The county called the acquisition "a major win for local wildlife and long-term preservation."

Connected preserves let wildlife move freely and keep ecosystems healthy, according to the county's ELAMP page. The county's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP) buys environmentally sensitive land outright or through conservation easements.

The county did not disclose the purchase price. The acquisition was funded through Penny for Pasco, a one-cent sales surtax shared by the county, school district and municipalities. The county's FY 2026 budget allocates 20% of its 45% share of the proceeds to acquire environmentally sensitive land.

ELAMP has preserved about 8,688 acres since its creation in July 2004. The county estimates another 4,705 acres in its targeted corridors still need protection. It expects to acquire 1,200 to 1,600 acres with current Penny for Pasco revenue and 3,000 to 3,700 acres with future revenue.

The Ehren Cutoff deal is the latest in a string of large conservation purchases in the area. In June, the county announced its largest land buy ever, paying $68 million for 1,893 acres of the 4G Ranch along the same Ehren Cutoff, Connerton and State Road 52 corridor, according to the Tampa Bay Times. In September 2025, the Southwest Florida Water Management District announced a $30.8 million deal to buy the 974-acre Kirkland Ranch in east Pasco.

Those purchases come as the Pasco County Commission faces continued criticism that it has allowed too much development, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Melissa Charbonneau, Pasco's natural resources manager, told the Times in a December 2025 article that limited funds and development pressures force the county to work hard to make competitive offers to landowners.

Voters first approved Penny for Pasco in March 2004. The tax has been renewed twice and runs through December 2039, when it is expected to have generated $1.9 billion, according to the county.

Neither the Ehren Cutoff purchase nor the 4G Ranch deal is expected to affect plans to widen about seven miles of State Road 52 to four lanes between U.S. 41 and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. That project is in the design phase, with construction tentatively set to begin in fall 2027.