Fish Island, a 57-acre maritime hammock forest and preserve on the Intracoastal Waterway southeast of the Florida 312 bridge on Anastasia Island, was acquired Thursday by the state of Florida for $6.5 million.
The deal was announced by the North Florida Land Trust, who negotiated the deal with property owner Fish Island Development LLC.
The money to buy Fish Island is from the Florida Forever program and approved by the Florida Cabinet in July.
“This is a significant day for the St. Augustine community who worked for more than a decade to save Fish Island from development,” said Jim McCarthy, president of North Florida Land Trust, in a news release. “Fish Island is a healthy maritime hammock forest and preservation will help avoid water quality impacts to the Matanzas River. It is also a historic property that is an integral part of St. Augustine’s history.”
The island is named for Jesse Fish, who built his home on the land in the 1700s. It was the site of the first orange grove in Florida. At one time were about 3,000 orange trees on the island and the citrus was exported to England and Spain.
The site will be managed by the city of St. Augustine.
Vice Mayor of the City of St. Augustine Leanna Freeman spent about 14 years working to protect Fish Island, the release said.
She said plans for the development of the land had been growing and that preserving the land is the right thing to do.
“Considering all the efforts and ‘stars that had to align’ it is somewhat of a miracle that Fish Island will be preserved for future generations,” Freeman said.
The North Florida Land Trust supports environmental protection in the region.
