Who is behind Florida’s latest public land trade? DeSantis doesn’t say it.

TAMPA — The day after landowners retracted a controversial plan to acquire a reserve in northeastern Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, when asked about it, did not provide an answer that the Floridians and politicians still haven’t been wondering.

At a press conference in Tampa, a Tampa Bay Times reporter asked the governor why Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida supervisor Florida Environmental Regulator, has yet to identify the recently formed Upland LLC.

DeSantis replied: “It was not started by the DEP, but by the private landowner.” The governor ignored immediate follow-up: Who is the landowner? He then asked a new, unrelated question.

Questions have been swirling around the origins of the plan since Wednesday, when the Environment Agency announced an unplanned meeting of the Land Acquisition Council and voted for the proposal. Upland LLC wanted to acquire 600 acres of land in the Guana River Wildlife Management Area in St. John’s County in exchange for a patchwork of parcels from four counties.

Upland LLC’s business declaration to the state does not list anyone other than a typical business service company as leaders, making it unclear what the true identity of the entity. The group announced Monday night that it had withdrawn its proposal, but lawmakers are still seeking answers.

In an email shortly after 4:30am on Tuesday, State Rep. Kim Kendall, a Republican from St. Augustine, repeated a request from Environmental Agency a few days ago to ask who was behind the plan.

“I still need applicant information,” Kendall wrote in an email to Brian Bradner, acting assistant secretary for land and recreation.

“Please provide the information I requested today.”

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