SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — Just four months after City of Tallahassee commissioners voted 3-2 to sell the Capital City Country Club to its private owners, the land is back on the negotiating table with a new private investor group.
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On Monday, club members voted to move forward with the private investor group, according to the chair of the Capital City Country Club board.
During a phone call with ABC 27, he said the move gave the board the green light to pursue negotiations, though he does not know what the exact nature of that relationship will look like.
He says investors have committed about $30 million to improve the golf course and clubhouse.
That amount is more than 20 times what the city sold the land for in December.
Bruce Strouble, Chairperson of Tallahassee A.L.E.R.T., said this exact scenario is what they have been worried about during initial talks.
"This is a very controversial situation, and it kind of moved at a rapid speed, and now we're kind of seeing the consequences of the commissioners rushing into a poor decision," Strouble said.
The controversy stems from the discovery of unmarked graves of enslaved people on the property in 2019.
During the sale, the city placed deed restrictions on the transactions.
These restrictions prevent further development of the land, ensure the property remains a golf course, and allow the FAMU golf team to use it.
Another agreement requires the protection of the memorial site that the city recently completed.
The board's chair said they will honor and protect the site as part of that agreement.
However, Strouble said his biggest concern is that the community lost its voice on the issue.
"Even after the transfer, we see that it's being moved possibly to another private investor who has no connection to this community, so that's what we're learning to expect from our city commissioners," Strouble said.
The club chair said there has been no sale of the land, but they are working out a contract with the investment group as soon as possible.
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