Local residents had an opportunity Monday, June 9, to hear from state Rep. Kim Kendall on the recent land swap proposal in Guana River Preserve, legislation and more. The Palm Valley Community Association hosted the special public meeting at the community center.
On May 21, the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Acquisition and Restoration Council was to consider a request from Upland LLC to trade 600 acres in the preserve for 3,066.23 acres in four locations in the state. Upland owns 104.47 acres contiguous with the Guana River Wildlife Management Area.
That agenda item, posted May 14, was discovered by Audubon Florida, which alerted the public about the proposal. Kendall, among others, pushed back and the agenda item was withdrawn.
At Monday’s meeting, Kendall praised other state House members, mayors, county commissioners and especially the public for their strong opposition to the proposal.
“The residents came out in full force!” she said.
She said she’s planning legislation for next session to address misapplication of the 2018 conservation legislation that made this proposal possible. She also wants to expand the seven-day notice mandate to 30 days and require greater transparency.
Kendall also gave attendees a rundown of legislation she had introduced this, her first, session.
Trenton’s Law (Driving and Boating Offenses; HB 687): In 2023, Creekside High School graduate Trenton Stewart was killed after his Trailblazer was struck head-on by another vehicle. The other driver had just been released from prison after causing a previous fatal crash. This law increases penalties for repeat offenders. Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Hazardous Walking Conditions (HB 85): After completion of the State Road 9B-County Road 2209 connection, students were mandated to walk or ride their bikes along a dangerous roadside path to school because they technically lived within two miles. HB 85 allows greater exceptions to the two-mile rule so that affected students can ride a bus. Signed by DeSantis.
Aerospace Innovation Funding (HB 793): Expands Space Florida’s global partnerships for joint research and development and opens up funding options.
St. Augustine-St. Johns County Airport Authority (HB 4009): In the interest of safety and identity, this bill renames the Northeast Florida Regional Airport as the St. Augustine Airport, which is its original name. Signed by DeSantis.
Construction and Facilities (HB 569): Addresses funding inequities between charter and traditional public schools. “For me, it’s about school choice,” Kendall said.
Exceptional Student Education (HB 127): Paves the way for students with autism to secure employment after graduation with the help of workforce credentialing.
One of Kendall’s bills failed in the state Senate, Parental Rights (HB 1505). The bill would have required parental consent for a variety of health or medical actions taken in schools and also regarding surveys or questionnaires given to students.
Kendall also spoke about some appropriation requests she had made, including $3.5 million for improvements of the I-95 interchange at International Golf Parkway. Other funding for the $40 million project would come from the federal government ($34 million), the state ($500,000) and the county ($2 million).
