TALLAHASSEE --- With little discussion, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Cabinet members Tuesday approved spending $83.3 million for four acres of land that will be overseen as a public park by Okaloosa County.
The purchase of the four acres on the south side of Destin Harbor came as DeSantis and the Cabinet also moved forward with 10 other land deals. The Cabinet is made up of Attorney General James Uthmeier, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
The 11 parcels total 30,478 acres and include a $278.14 million price tag, with the money mostly coming from the state’s Florida Forever and Rural and Family Lands Protection programs. The projects primarily involve purchasing easements, which allow ranchers and farmers to continue agricultural operations in exchange for limiting future development.
The Destin deal drew the most attention. The property, owned by Pointe Mezzanine LLC and Point Resort LLC, is next to a row of condominiums and had been eyed for development.
DeSantis and the Cabinet approved the deal as part of a bundle of projects. Ingoglia said during the meeting he had reservations about the Destin proposal but declined to elaborate afterward.
“I just wish to say I have concerns,” Ingoglia told reporters.
Pointe Mezzanine and Pointe Resort, registered in state corporate records to Louisiana developer and political donor Rodney Guidry, acquired the land for $7.9 million in 2016 and 2017.
The land is zoned for high-density residential use.
After the meeting, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson defended the deal as a land protection measure.
“I wonder what it would look like with 250 condos on it,” Simpson said. “Now, we will never have to imagine that.”
A Cabinet staff report said buying the land would improve public access, with plans for 100 parking spaces and opportunities for boating, fishing and swimming.
“Conservation of this property would prevent this type of development and create additional recreational opportunities for the public,” the staff report said.
Okaloosa County has pledged $5 million to support the new park.
“If the state buys this property, it means that the public will always have access to it, and I think that’s a beautiful thing,” Okaloosa County Commission Chairman Paul Mixon wrote to the state Department of Environmental Protection in August. “The public --- our residents and visitors --- will get to participate and experience our beautiful coastline and our natural resources here in Okaloosa County.”
Fine print in the state budget that took effect July 1 directed purchasing the land, though it did not include a dollar amount.
Sen. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, told the Northwest Florida news site Get the Coast that “it’s incredibly important to give people access to one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world.”
“We’re not making beachfront property anymore, especially parcels that are as well-positioned as this one,” Trumbull told Get the Coast.
Among the other deals approved Tuesday:
- $68.15 million to purchase an 1,893-acre easement at 4G Ranch in Pasco County. The county is expected to cover half the cost.
- 32.1 million for a 5,940-acre easement at Remlap Ranch in Okeechobee County.
- $25.1 million for a 5,631-acre easement on property owned by Hoot Holdings in Collier and Hendry counties.
- $17.169 million to purchase a 1,670-acre easement at Bar-B Ranch in Martin County.
- $9.47 million to purchase a 2,559-acre easement from Bentley Ranch Inc. in Hardee County.
- $6.477 million to purchase a 1,889-acre easement from Finca Vigia, LLC in Hendry County.
- $6.3 million to purchase a 1,400-acre easement from Lake’s Place, LLP in Osceola County.
- $5.45 million to purchase a 3,094-acre easement from Little Orange Creek, LLC in Putnam County.