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

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Less than a day 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.

Local, state and national leaders joined the conversation in the last several day.

Florida Congressman Byron Donalds sharing on X, “I stand with the residents of St. Johns County: Guana Preserve is NOT for sale.”

News4JAX received a copy of the withdrawal from officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the law firm representing the applicant.

The letter states that Upland LLC believed the “5 to 1 acre land swap would have been a net positive” for Floridians, and its withdrawal is “due to public sentiment resulting from misinformation.”

“To be clear, there was never an intention to develop the acquired land for commercial or community development purposes. Rather, the swap would have resulted in additional acres for Florida land conservation,” the statement reads.

St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell also confirmed the withdrawal to News4JAX.

“600 acres of the Guana River Preserve—land that was set aside for conservation—was at risk of being lost to development,” Rumrell said in a statement. “But I’m proud to say: that risk is no longer imminent. The developer has officially pulled their application. This is a moment worth celebrating—but it didn’t happen on its own. It happened because people stood up. It happened because you made your voices heard. Residents, conservationists, local and state leaders, national leaders like Susie Wiles and Byron Donalds—your dedication and persistence made a difference. I want to personally thank each and every one of you who wrote letters, attended meetings, organized, and refused to let this go quietly. You are the reason we protected this land.”

RELATED: St. Johns County residents oppose Guana River Wildlife Management Area land swap

If the deal had been approved, about 600 acres of protected land in St. Johns County’s Guana Preserve would have been exchanged for 3,000 acres from four plots of land throughout the state.

Public outcry and disapproval poured out as neighbors to the preserve and conservationists said it’s a bad idea.

MORE | St. Johns County residents say they didn’t know about Guana River land swap

Additionally, less than one day ago, President Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who has decades-long ties to Northeast Florida, called for members of the Acquisition and Restoration Council on Monday to vote down the “land grab,” referring to it as “outrageous” and the developer a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

The agenda for the Acquisition and Restoration Council Meeting on Wednesday was updated to show that Item 4, which was the land swap deal, was withdrawn by the applicant.

News4JAX reached out to the developer for comment.