By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
In Summary:
Sponsored by Kim Kendall and co-sponsored by Allison Tant, the bill requires at least 30 days’ public notice, a formal appraisal, and detailed online disclosures before any conservation land exchange moves forward. Supporters say the changes are meant to prevent last-minute proposals that could quietly reduce protected acreage. After unanimously passing through committee stops, the legislation now heads to the full House, while its Senate companion advances separately.
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Hugh Long was born and raised “just up the road” from the Guana River Wildlife Management Area in St. Johns County, and spent “countless hours” as a youth hiking its trails, fishing its waters, and hunting its game.
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He holds that this public land is “priceless and valuable beyond measure,” which is why he joined tens of thousands of other Floridians last year to oppose a proposed 600-acre land-swap with a private entity, which the public learned of less than a week before the deal was set to go before a state board for review.
Ultimately, the private entity dropped its application, but that incident propelled Rep. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine, to work on a legislative proposal designed to prevent similar threats to state lands from taking place without more transparency and timely notice to the public.
Her bill (HB 441), co-sponsored with Rep. Allison Tant, D-Tallahassee, calls for at least 30 days’ notice before formal consideration when the state or water management districts are considering selling or exchanging state or district-owned conservation lands.
It also would require that the proposed exchange must have at least one appraisal conducted in accordance with the Board of Trustees’ criteria, and that the Division of State Lands must publish specific information on its website.
Speaking to the State House Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Kendall said that four items need to be published on that website:
- What is the parcel in question?
- What’s the appraisal?
- What is the percentage of land to remain conservation?
- What is the ‘why’ statement — “Why is this a benefit to the state?” she said.
“Thanks to the collective efforts of Floridians, we were able to stop this land swap, but it highlighted gaps in our laws,” Kendall added.
The measure was passed unanimously in the State House Affairs Committee, as it was in its two previous committee stops. It now heads to the full House for a vote. Its Senate companion (SB 546) will go before its second of three assigned committee stops on Wednesday.
FSU student Hugh Long says he grew up visiting the Guana River Wildlife Management Area (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
Long, a student at Florida State University, argues there’s a reason people call the Guana River parcel “the 12-mile miracle,” and that the state’s public lands — all of them — are “priceless and valuable beyond measure.”
“You can’t trade off a miracle. You really can’t. So our community hopes this Guana incident was a one-off,” he told the committee.
“But without improved transparency and accountability, the places where memories of where the real Florida are made are in real danger of becoming just that, a memory. So, I ask you all to take a step to keep our state beautiful and preserve the unique, natural, and cultural heritage that is ours as Floridians.”
Key Points:
- The bill requires 30 days’ public notice before the sale or exchange of state or water district land.
- Requires at least one independent appraisal of the property.
- The state must publish parcel details, valuation, conservation percentage, and justification online.
- Proposal follows controversy over a 600-acre swap near Guana River.
- Measure cleared House committees unanimously and awaits a full vote.
