ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — When you hear that a tract of land is conservation land, most people think it will be preserved forever.
That's what Matthew and Miranda O'Brien thought.
"We initially chose this site because of the preserve, we love the view," Matthew O'Brien told First Coast News.
The couple bought their first house in a small St. Johns County neighborhood in 2019. The conservation land behind their house sealed the deal for them. The tucked away neighborhood even has a sign along the road, warning drivers to watch out for wildlife.
They thought the conservation land would remain untouched.
But that’s not the case. A couple of years ago, a developer bought the land, and now there is a proposal to build 175 homes and commercial space.
It's on 80 acres between State Road 16 and I-95, a couple miles west of the SR 16 exit. It would be called Laurel Point, and it would almost engulf the O’Brien’s small neighborhood.
The land surrounding their neighborhood is full of pines. In 2013, it had a conservation easement placed on it. In 2020, the new property owners of this land, asked the Water Management District to release the conservation easement, and the Water Management District agreed to do that.
One developer told First Coast News that is extremely rare.
But how can conservation land stop being conservation land?
Matanzas Riverkeeper Jen Lomberk and North Florida Land Trust Director Jim McCarthy are two experts in legal land issues. They told First Coast News that when a conservation easement is placed on land, it’s usually for a reason. However, they both said when it comes to water management districts, if the land is considered not as valuable as it once was, it can be sold for other land or the easement can be released.
McCarthy noted that not all entities that deal with land conservation can change the status of the land deals. He said, for example, when the North Florida Land Trust conserves land, it is in perpetuity.
As for the O’Briens, they are not thrilled with their situation.
"We’re not very happy that our conservation is going away," Miranda O'brien said, "and that the land that was conservation was sold to tear down beautiful trees and wildlife."
The development proposal is going before the St. Johns County Commission for a final decision.