TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The City of Tallahassee is taking the next steps in completing the $1.25 million sale of Capital City Country Club land, from finishing a commemoration site to finalizing documentation. The sale is still facing controversy stemming from the 2019 discovery of unmarked graves of those enslaved.
- City of Tallahassee commissioners voted 3-2 to sell the land for $1.25 million.
- The sale includes multiple deed restrictions to keep the property a golf course, prevent further development, require city commission approval before any future sales, and allow the city to maintain and protect a commemoration site.
- Watch the video below to hear what’s next from key stakeholders following the sale.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The City of Tallahassee’s decision to sell the Capital City Country Club land Wednesday is just the beginning as ownership transfers to the country club’s private owners.
The city will get $1.25 million dollars from the sale, and deed restrictions are in place to ensure the property remains a golf course, preventing any further development of the property.
“The next steps are to take all of the documents that are part of the item of purchase and sale agreement or perpetual use agreement, the commemoration maintenance agreement, all of the documents that are part of that package, and execute the documents, which is occurring now,” Assistant City Manager Christian Doolin said.
The sale also allows the Florida A&M University golf team to practice and host tournaments on the course.
Coach Mike Rice says the sale is a major benefit for the university, as it hasn’t been able to host in about seven years.
“Quite frankly, we just didn't have somewhere to host, and now that we'll be here, this will be home. We're going to be able to bring schools from all over the country to Tallahassee,” Rice said.
But the sale has been controversial since talks began in September.
In 2019, the National Park Service discovered dozens of unmarked graves of those enslaved on the land.
Activist and historian Delaitre Hollinger says the same concerns he had before the sale still exist.
“The huge issue here is trust between the citizens and the government, and what we've seen does not foster a spirit of trust between the citizens and our government,” Hollinger, who also serves as the president for the National Association for the Preservation of African-American History and Culture, said.
Doolin says completing a commemoration site remains top priority for the city.
It’s agreed to protect and preserve the area.
Work started just weeks before the sale but is expected to be completed by early next year.
“It's been a big priority of the commission, the community, not just in recent years but over the decades. We're really pleased with all the work that's gone into this,” Doolin said.
Hollinger says the timing of the effort feels disingenuous and says activists are planning to look into potential action against the sale.
“I don't believe that the community should just let this go,” Hollinger said.
ABC 27 reached out to the Capital City Country Club for an interview following the sale, but have not heard back.
The city says they will continue to work with FAMU to ensure that the partnership with the club is underway.
Coach Rice is hoping to start practicing on the site as soon as January though he expects to hold off on hosting a tournament for at least a year until the course is upgraded to meet NCAA requirements.
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