ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County residents and environmental groups alike celebrated victory Saturday after The Upland LLC withdrew plans earlier this week for a highly controversial Guana River Wildlife Management Area land swap deal earlier this week.
“So many folks rallied, and you know, just from the everyday volunteers, up to all the way almost the White House with Susie Wiles,” Save Guana Now president Nicole Crosby said on Saturday. “So we’re just really, I’m just thrilled and happy.”
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Members of the community celebrated the win Saturday by enjoying the natural resources that many worried they were so close to losing.
Although it was never clear what the plans for the 600 acres within Guana included, many suspected the land preserved for wildlife and public enjoyment might be developed.
For Ragda Deeb, resources like Guana make living in St. Johns County special.
“My eldest [son] is now 25 and he was in diapers when we would go down the yellow trail, and so it’s just such a huge part of my world and my life,” Deeb said. “So it means a lot to my heart, honestly.”
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However, now the fight to protect the area continues, with concerned St. Johns County residents pushing ahead for improved legal protections for conservation areas like Guana.
The push comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed into law protections for state parks.
“I feel like developments are becoming more active and more common, and the reserve lands really, really need to be protected,” Deeb said.
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Now, Crosby said, the hope is that those protections come sooner rather than later.
Crosby said Saturday that the community in and around St. Johns County has now shown how powerful the voice of protest will be the next time a developer does come knocking
“Every environmental group is stronger than it was before, and we are too,” Crosby said. ”We’ve got thousands of more members and we’re just building on each other. I mean, hopefully we won’t have to keep fighting like this.”
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