Lawmakers add transparency to conservation land sales

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(The Center Square) – Potential sales or trades of state-owned conservation land would require more transparency under a bill that unanimously passed the Florida House on Tuesday. 

House Bill 441 increases the public notice on the land sales from seven days to 30. It would require proposed land exchanges of privately-owned land for state-owned land to have at least one appraisal conducted. The Division of State Lands would be required to publish the parcels and the portions that will be kept in conservation, along with a statement explaining how the exchange will benefit the state.

Rep. Kim Kendall, a Republican from St. Augustine who co-sponsored the bill, said it was inspired by a land swap that was planned in her district last year. The transaction would have included 600 acres of a 10,000-acre wildlife management area that offers hunting, fishing and canoeing.

It's not clear who the developer was or what was planned for the property, but Kendall said 50,000 people from around the state signed a petition to try to stop it.

During the process, Kendall said she and Rep. Allison Tant, a Democrat from Tallahassee who co-sponsored the bill, realized the Florida statute that addresses conservation land sales or swaps needed some changes. 

Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Democrat from St. Petersburg, praised the bill for addressing “attacks on our public lands,” noting previous attempts to commercialize state parks. 

“This bill is going to give transparency,” Cross said. “It’s going to give Floridians the assurance that public lands that are protected with their tax dollars are going to be protected.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2025 signed a bill to protect state parks from commercial development, reversing course on the Department of Environmental Protection's plan to offer amenities like golf courses, tennis and pickleball courts and hotels.

Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, said Florida's conservation lands and environment "are incredible bipartisan issues."

"Whenever we’ve seen these headlines, oftentimes it’s a whistleblower that’s sharing with us a land swap deal or some sort of development deal that happened behind closed doors,” she said.