Guana land swap proposal withdrawn following widespread backlash
State Representative Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine, confirms The Upland, LLC has withdrawn its application for the proposed land swap that would have transferred 600 acres in the Guana River Wildlife Management Area into private hands.
Action News Jax has obtained the following letter from Upland's representative, which was sent to the state Department of Environmental Protection deputy secretary announcing the withdrawal.
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News about the proposed land swap brought swift condemnation from national state and local leaders. The plan called for trading the 600 acres in the northeast corner of St. Johns County, where the Guana River Wildlife Management Area sits, for more than 3,000 acres along the Florida Wildlife Corridor in various parts of the state.
Even White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, a resident of nearby Ponte Vedra, spoke out condemning the land swap in the Jacksonville Tributary.
In the letter, a representative for The Upland LLC said there was 'never any intention to develop the acquired land for commercial or community development purposes.'
Instead, it claims the deal would have resulted in additional conservation land for Florida, and the backlash was fueled by 'misinformation.'
St. Johns County Commissioner Sarah Arnold says local leaders planned to pressure the Governor and Cabinet, who would have ultimately determined whether to approve the trade.
'I would say the same thing we said with the state parks argument, parks are for people,' Arnold told Action News Jax earlier Monday. 'This land, this conservation land is for the residents of this county and this state.'
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