North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has worked for more than 25 years to protect the ecological integrity of the North Florida landscape, and specifically in the area of the Guana Preserve. As a conservation organization with significant holdings in the area, including 7,632 acres on 13 properties within a 20-mile radius of the proposed exchange site, we feel it appropriate to speak up when a proposed action could impact these protected lands and the broader landscape we have long worked to conserve.
While like-kind exchanges are a recognized tool in real estate, when public conservation lands are involved, the stakes are much higher. These decisions must be based not only on comparable economic value, but also on a thorough and transparent assessment of environmental value. The land under consideration includes developable acreage with a Ponte Vedra address, admittedly property that we estimate to be worth billions. The public deserves the assurance that any transaction reflects true and fair value, both financially and ecologically. Further, Florida has very strict provisions in statute and its Constitution which govern such a proposed transaction, with extra-majority threshold requirements as well. These must be followed with the utmost transparency to maintain public trust.
NFLT believes these economic and environmental assessments must include independent professional evaluations and a commitment to transparency. Florida has one of the strongest land conservation legacies in the nation, backed by bipartisan leadership, decades of voter support, and a legal framework built to protect the public trust. That legacy was built on careful, data-driven decisions, not on haste or pressure. Properly assessed, the decision will present itself with transparency, and in comportment with Florida’s strict legal and constitutional requirements.
We urge all involved to proceed deliberately, transparently, and in full alignment with Florida law. This land, and the legacy we leave behind, deserves nothing less.
