Deja vu saves Florida public land

Rhoda T. London, retired educator, Jacksonville (Indivisible Mandarin member)

Published May 21, 2025 The Florida Times Union Letters to the Editor

Floridians love our wild lands. We love the recreational experiences and the opportunity to step into “Old Florida” landscapes. Yet, these lands and experiences are continually under threat.  

These threats include last summer’s development plans for nine state parks — including Anastasia in St. Johns County — to the most recent (now withdrawn) land swap proposal that would have traded 600 acres of undeveloped land in Guana River Wildlife Management Area into private ownership.  

Floridians have again stepped up to make it clear: Our protected, public lands are not for sale. It is time for state decision-makers and others to take this message to heart. 

Beloved by Floridians and visitors, our state’s undeveloped, public lands play a critical role in bolstering coastal resiliency, supporting water quality and protecting key species and habitat. As taxpayers, we have invested in these lands and the promise that they will be protected for future generation — not the next development deal. 

The acquisition of public conservation land should not be at the expense of losing other irreplaceable public lands. Acquisitions should be made using the state’s successful existing programs like Florida Forever or the Rural & Family Lands Protection Program. These programs must also continue to receive robust funding.  

We applaud state legislators for passing strong, permanent protections for our state parks this legislative session. We urge the same attention to better protections for wildlife management areas and state forests in future sessions. 

Let’s take care of protecting these lands, so we can get back to enjoying them.