Developers Tied to Controversial Guana River Land Swap Proposal Withdraw Application for Deal

Mysterious applicant withdraws request for controversial Guana River land swap

TALLAHASSEE – A mysterious developer that caused an outcry over its request to exchange 600 acres of pristine land in coastal St. Johns County for 3,000 acres of woods and marsh in Osceola and Volusia counties and elsewhere across the state has withdrawn its application, state officials said. “The applicant has informed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection of its decision to withdraw its land exchange request,” DEP spokeswoman Alex…

St. Johns County land swap dead after applicant withdraws

A proposal to have the state deed 600 acres of public land in the Guana River Wildlife Management Area of St. Johns County to a private company in exchange for 3,000 acres across five counties is officially dead. In a letter first obtained by Florida Politics, Upland LLC withdrew its application for the land swap. The Acquisition and Restoration Council had scheduled it for consideration on Wednesday. “While the applicant believes this 5-to-1 ac…

Developers tied to controversial Guana River land swap proposal withdraw application for deal

Just a few hours after President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, spoke out against the controversial proposal to exchange 600 acres of protected land in St. Johns County’s Guana Preserve for conservation land elsewhere, the developer withdrew its application.

Group behind controversial Florida land swap withdraws plan, state says

A land acquisition council was slated to vote on the land swap proposal Wednesday.

St. Johns County land swap dead, company withdraws application

Now, a Florida representative wants the state to buy the company's land next to the Guana Reserve.

The people win. Sneaky government (and developers) lose

We were all set to get you riled up about the proposed Guana Preserve land swap. That audacious and obnoxious proposal involved the state trading 600 acres of the state-owned Guana River Wildlife Management Area in northeast Florida to some recently-formed, fly-by-night company for a total of 3,066 acres in four counties.  The suspicion was that “The Upland LLC,” the company formed in February, wanted to develop the Guana River acreage (with gol…