Jesse Scheckner
Conservation groups have been alarmed by a proposed land swap that would trade roughly 600 acres of prime conservation habitat within the Guana River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) for more than 3,000 acres elsewhere.
They cite the plan’s lack of details and surreptitious presentation — a measure about the proposal was placed on the state Acquisition and Restoration Council’s (ARC) Wednesday agenda with less than a week’s notice — as especially concerning.
Audubon Florida has launched a campaign opposing the plan to see the state trade lands with a mysterious and new limited liability company called The Upland. The Florida Wildlife Federation and Save Guana Now, a nonprofit led by former St. Johns Soil and Water Conservation District Chair Nicole Crosby, are also fighting the request.
Audubon warns that the deal could set “a dangerous precedent” by allowing development in the heart of one of Northeast Florida’s most ecologically valuable tracts. The Florida Wildlife Federation described the plan as a “heist,” with those involved “bypassing public trust and limiting the opportunity for Floridians to weigh in.”
Under the proposal, The Upland LLC — whose filing with the state includes scant details on who owns it — would trade four privately held parcels totaling 3,066.23 acres across St. Johns, Lafayette, Osceola and Volusia counties to the state in exchange for the 600-acre WMA upland tract on the western shore of Guana Lake.
Division of State Lands staff recommend approval of the swap, saying the 5-to-1 acreage trade would yield a net gain of nearly 2,500 acres of conservation land within key Florida Forever project boundaries. But Audubon Florida contends the proposal “is light on details” and “quietly slipped onto the ARC agenda less than seven days before the surprise meeting.”
Speaking to Action News Jax, Chris Farrell, a policy associate for Audubon Florida, likened the proposal to a plan Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration unveiled last year to build lodging and golf courses in state parks. That plan was resoundingly rejected on both sides of the political aisle, and state lawmakers have since passed legislation to more clearly prevent development in state parks.
Farrell said that this plan should also be kicked to the curb.
“We don’t want to have to trade conservation lands, one for the other. The idea is to build this portfolio over time,” he said, calling the 10,000-acre Guana River WMA “a wonderful ecological treasure” that deserves protection.
“I just hope they learn from what happened with the state parks and see the commitment that the people of Florida have to conservation.”
The Guana River WMA spans 9,815 acres in St. Johns County approximately 15 miles south of Jacksonville. In addition to its rare and threatened coastal habitats, the land, purchased in 1984 through the Conservation and Recreation Lands program, features hiking and hunting trails and spaces for paddling and wildlife viewing.
In its public petition, Audubon Florida emphasized that the agenda language stating “the wetlands of the existing parcel will be ‘avoided’” implies the upland WMA tract would be repurposed, potentially for housing or a golf course.
“Even without all these shortcomings, the fundamental issue remains: Florida’s conservation lands are not held in trust for the public simply until a developer wants them,” the group wrote.
ARC materials note that any incoming private lands would be subject to permanent conservation easements and that both the Division of State lands and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approve of the swap.
Division of State Lands staff said the deal would allow new public access points to be created at Deep Creek Conservation Area, Mallory Swamp Wildlife Management Area, Buck Lake Wildlife Management Area and Big Bend Swamp, bolstering contiguous corridors for bald eagles, gopher tortoises, indigo snakes and other protected species. However, Audubon Florida argued that the analysis “fails to demonstrate ecological benefits beyond gross acreage” and does not clarify who is behind The Upland LLC or how the company intends to manage the land it seeks to acquire.
“Florida has appropriate mechanisms to acquire additional conservation lands—through Florida Forever, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and more,” the petition says. “We don’t need to trade away valuable and vulnerable conservation jewels like Guana WMA, least of all for potential subdivisions or worse.”
If approved Wednesday, the item would likely be heard at the Florida Cabinet’s June 10 meeting, the last before a two-month hiatus.
