SRWMD purchased Rayonier tract with mineral rights leased to Chemours for TiO2 mining –SRWMD to Carol Mosley 2025-07-11

SRWMD knew the mineral rights were already leased for mining by Chemours when SRWMD bought the Double Run Creek property from Rayonier. SRWMD did not intend to use the property for public access or recreation.

SRWMD writes, “The primary goal of the acquisition was to support Camp Blanding military buffers, while subsequently exploring the opportunity for flood abatement and water resource development projects.” So why didn’t Armory Board State of Florida buy it, since that’s the entity that owns the rest of Camp Blanding? And what sort of “flood abatement and water resource development projects” were contemplated?

SRWMD purchased Rayonier tract with mineral rights leased to Chemours for TiO2 mining, SRWMD to Carol Mosley 2025-07-11

Here’s an excerpt from a reply to Carol Mosley by Troy Roberts, Office Chief, Communications and Outreach, Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD):

To answer your questions, the mining rights for the Double Run Creek property were not available for purchase at the time of acquisition and were not offered as part of the transaction. The rights were previously leased by a third party with the intent that mining operations would continue, which the District was aware of at the time of acquisition. Any subsequent transactions regarding the mining rights would not fall under District jurisdiction.

The primary goal of the acquisition was to support Camp Blanding military buffers, while subsequently exploring the opportunity for flood abatement and water resource development projects. This language is expressly listed in the District’s resolution for the land purchase, which the Board approved. Recreation and public access were not included as primary goals of the acquisition.

The management plan references public access and recreation, only if the opportunities do not interfere with a project. The site is still considered a project area.

Because the property is managed by the Florida Department of Military Affairs, any public access to the property would be initiated and led by that agency. Questions regarding future access and timing should be directed to the Florida Department of Military Affairs, per the management agreement.

If the purchase was to support Camp Blanding, why didn’t Armory Board State of Florida buy it, since that’s the entity that owns the rest of Camp Blanding?

What sort of “flood abatement and water resource development projects” would those be?

And here is Carol Mosley’s followup, sent by her to WWALS with permission to post.

From: Carol Mosley
Date: Mon, Aug 11, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Subject: SRWMD purchase absent mineral rights
To: [SRWMD Board Members]
Good morning SRWMD Board,
I’m a big believer in “government in the sunshine.” And my mother always told me to “say what you mean and mean what you say.” It is in this spirit that I am stuck trying to understand the purchase of a parcel of property without obtaining the mineral rights to the land.

I was disappointed that my correspondence with you at the last meeting was not even summarized by the Board or read aloud so that others might hear my concerns. I am attaching it again here along with my email conversation with Mr. Troy Roberts.

My main concern is that SRWMD knowingly purchased a surface of land, with the seller, Rayonier, maintaining the mineral rights that they openly intended to lease to Chemours for mining. Yet, nothing in any related documents that I have seen mentions this to the public. To the contrary, the language says the property will be used as a buffer to camp Blanding, provide water retention and aquifer recharge, and offer recreational opportunities if possible.

It is this idea that the public may have use of the land “someday” that seems disingenuous. What decade from now might that be possible in light of Chemours’ plans for mining? Without the mineral rights, Rayonier could come in at any time in perpetuity, and lease the land for extraction of whatever they want whenever they want. So when did you all imagine that it might no longer be a “project area” and accessible to the public? 2050, 2075? Were we members of the public simply used as pawns to make the deal seem sweeter? It feels that way.

Why not let Camp Blanding and Rayonier make the deal themselves? Or get North Florida Land Trust involved? In those cases, the purposes of buffer zone and water retention would have still been met without the involvement of SRWMD. Why was SRWMD involved at all unless it provides the added benefit of public access, which would be restricted if the deal was between Camp Blanding and Rayonier directly? I was told by Mr. Roberts that public access was never “primary.” So why mention it at all?

I hope you can shed some light on the questions I pose. What decade do you anticipate the public having access? If unlikely to ever happen, why pretend? Since primary goals of buffer and water issues could be met without SRWMD’s involvement, why did you get involved?

With concern,
Carol Mosley

As mentioned in a previous post, nobody showed up on July 8 to speak in item 6. Public Comment. See SRWMD’s YouTube video at 15:28.
https://www.youtube.com/live/9pousRkUayc?si=VoUYIbT4Ak8SKlGV&t=928

Nobody spoke in 6. Public Comment

SRWMD Chair Virginia Johns did note that one letter had been received, but it was already filed as public comment. Obviously that was Carol Mosley’s letter.

Below are images of the back correspondence, which can also be found in PDF on the WWALS website:

Troy Roberts also wrote, “Since the acquisition of the property, one tree harvesting operation has taken place ahead of mining in that area. This took place last year on 128 acres of the tract, resulting in approximately $190,000 in revenue for the District, which is utilized to further our land management goals in Braford County and across the District.”

What specific projects did that money go to?

And Troy Roberts wrote, “The District continues to work with all parties involved to ensure the continued protection and future restoration of this property to align with the District’s core mission.”

I am having trouble seeing how strip mining and timber harvesting are part of the District’s core mission.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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