TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Community members gathered to protest the sale of the Capital City Country Club, citing concerns about public land use, accountability, and the preservation of historic sites.
- Protesters are calling for more transparency and public involvement in decisions about the future of the country club property.
- The property includes a commemorative cemetery, after unmarked graves of enslaved people were discovered by the National Park Service in 2019.
- Watch the video below to see why community members are concerned about reduced public access and the long-term use of the land.
Community protests sale of Capital City Country Club
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Saturday, protesters gathered at the Capital City Country Club in response to the City of Tallahassee's decision a month ago to sell public land to the country club.
I'm Lyric Sloan in Southeast Tallahassee, where I spoke with demonstrators who argued the decision overlooks the historical and cultural significance of the land and was made without meaningful public input.
"Who's benefiting, because it's certainly not the people of Tallahassee. We're giving away land, which is very valuable. We're giving away our control of land. I think it's a disastrous decision," Robert Olmstead, Myers Park Resident said.
As demonstrators marched the streets around the Capital City Country Club, they did so with purpose, calling for justice and accountability.
"Basically, we want dialogue with our commissioners. We want to be able to hold them accountable. We want to be able to talk to our elected officials," Justin Jordan, member of FAMU Students for a Democratic Society, said.
Protesters say they want more communication with city leaders and a greater role in decisions affecting public land and historic sites.
"Our main demands basically were we want to stop the sale of the country club. We want accountability from our city commissioners, and we want kind of a town hall to discuss this," Jordan said.
Another concern for community members is the lack of public access to the property.
"The property has been removed from public access. We can't go in there. The facilities are not open to neighbors to go up there and utilize," Olmstead said.
Olmstead says he is worried about how the sale will affect the future of the land, and believes it should remain public property for community use.
"Another point to be made here is that that property is 200 acres, it's going to be developed someday, and who's going to be in charge of development, either the public or a private enterprise. If the people go in there, it can be a break-even project. We could return it to a park to the citizens of Tallahassee, and as the city gets bigger, and housing gets denser, we need green space," Olmstead said.
One site that remains accessible is the commemorative cemetery.
In 2019, the National Park Service discovered unmarked graves of enslaved people on the property. In response, city officials made an agreement with the country club to protect and preserve the area.
Some community members say the city's commemorative efforts, which have begun, including maintaining a public cemetery memorial, do not go far enough.
"It was a few bricks and like a concrete barrier, like circular thing. I think that, like, I'm glad that there's any progress at all. Honestly, of course, I'm glad that there's some effort being taken, but I do think that there should be accountability for the lack of action that we saw beforehand," Jordan said.
I reached out to the Capital City Country Club for a statement, but haven't heard back yet.
Protesters say they plan to continue pushing for recognition and protection of what they believe to be a historic burial site, as well as pushing for more say in city decisions.
In Southeast Tallahassee, Lyric Sloan, ABC 27.
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