State Land Files
The downloadable file below outlines the history of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the various offices that were responsible for selling public lands entrusted by the Federal Government for distribution. Offices included the Internal Improvement Board (created in 1851). The Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (created in 1855), http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/files/lands_history
| lands_history.pdf |
Lands distributed by other sources than the BLM in 1 South 19 West
Through acts of Congress, the federal government granted Florida various categories of land after it became a state. In 1845, the federal government granted the new state 500,000 acres of “internal improvement lands.”The intent of this grant was that the lands be sold to fund improvements to roads, canals, and navigable streams for the purpose of aiding internal communications." In an attempt to orderly manage these federal land grants, the 1855 Florida Legislature created the Internal Improvement Fund, which consisted of title to internal improvement lands and swamp lands and all proceeds from the sale of such lands. The legislature then vested title to the internal improvement lands and swamp lands in the “Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund” (the governor and cabinet) and gave them authority to sell and transfer the lands as prescribed by statute.
Under the federal Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act of 1850, the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund (TIIF) received title to two-thirds of the land mass of Florida.The lands were sold to homesteaders and speculators, initially at less than $1 per acre, and in 1920, lands sold for as high as $2 per acre. Property values during the 1921-1925 Land Boom increased five times over the former values. An influx of people and commerce to the state increased demand for roads, utilities, and bridges, and local governments sold bonds to pay for the improvements. In Orange County alone, a $7 million bond issue in 1926 financed 86 road construction projects. By 1929, local governments issued a total of $600 million in bonded debt. Property taxes and millage rates increased because the revenue to service the bonded debt came exclusively from property taxes
The Federal Government made it clear that the Territory of Florida is admitted into the Union as a Public Lands State on the express condition that it shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the public lands lying within them, nor levy any tax on the same whilst remaining the property of the U.S. Portions of lands in the area were distributed by the BLM to private individuals by patents issued. The BLM entrusted the State of Florida with tracts of unencumbered lands that were sold to raise revenues for the state. The State and subsequently Walton County were entrusted with approximately 7269.09 acres of land within the township boundaries of 1 South 19 West. The State sold the lands in various ways, and private surveyors were hired with the sales that were not employees of the State. The survey work was sub contracted out to independent contractors and the field work done was not followed up on or confirmed by the State to check for accuracy, nor were copies made or filed into the public records of Florida. Thus the fires destroyed the only record of these transactions. In 1977, the State of Florida legislated Statute 177.502 as the Legislature finds and declares that it is the responsibility of the state, and in the public interest, to provide a means for the identification, restoration, and preservation of the controlling corner monuments established during the original cadastral surveys, to which the vast majority of titles to lands in Florida are related and which they are dependent. All such monuments and evidence pertaining to the original government surveys are resurveys are recognized as historical and economic resources of the state and, as such, are vitally important to the orderly planning, management, use, conservation, and public enjoyment of Florida’s natural resources. In order to implement this policy, the department shall assume the responsibility for conducting a program of the identification, restoration, and preservation of such monuments. The State of Florida created a program called Labins in an attempt to comply with F.S. 177.501-10, where certification of section corners are to be recorded. However, once again the State relies on the work of private surveyors to provide corner certification to Labins, and does not verify the accuracy of the corner certification. This is not a remedy to the problem, and only supports faulty survey work further by making the corner certifications public, so other surveyors can use the “certified” corner. Most corner certifications filed with Labins reference trees that are much too young to be authentic BLM witness trees, and no noted attempt is made at archeological excavation for the remains of root masses on most to verify a true corner. Each section corner has 4 witness trees listed in the BLM field notes.
One glaring example of the problem with allowing private surveyors to certify corners is a case where a surveyor was unable to find existing witness tress in the area of a concrete monument, locally used by some landowners and ignored by others. An archeological dig was made at 3 referenced witness tree locations, and only one hole dug had evidence of a tree. The surveyor determined that the concrete monument was a true BLM corner and it has been certified. In the meantime, a sample of the tree evidence was sent to a lab to be radio carbon dated for age. The results came back that the tree time frame was about 1900, which made it too young to be a BLM witness tree. There was no other tree evidence found in the area of the corner. There is monumentation over 300’ to the south that appears to be placed by the USGS as a location for the section corner. This monumentation is ignored by surveyors as it is too far and therefore “discounted.” Discounting lightwoods stakes is also practiced in the area, which was the monumentation used by the BLM.
It would appear that not a single section corner within the entire State has been verified or restored by the State, as of yet.
Twenty of thirty six sections within 1 South 19 West were entrusted by the BLM to the State of Florida for public disposal for a total of about 7269.09 acres and are listed as follows:
All of Section 1 @ 640 acres
All of Section 3 @ 640 acres
All of Section 5 except the w ½ of the NW ¼ @ 560 acres
Section 6 – E ½ of the NE ¼ @ 80 acres
All of Section 7 except the s ½ of the SE ¼ @ 560 acres
All of Section 9 except the ne ½ of the SE ¼ and the se ¼ of the SW ¼ @ 560 acres
Section 10 – SE ¼ @ 160 acres
All of Section 11 except the s ½ of the NE ¼ @ 560 acres
Section 15 – the w ½ of the NW ¼ @ 80 acres
All of Section 16 @ 640 acres
Section 18 - the e ½ of the NW ¼ , the nw ¼ of the NW ¼ , the nw ¼ of the SE ¼ , the ne ¼ of the SW ¼ @ 200 acres
Section 19 – the w ½ of the SE ¼ , the e ½ of the SW ¼ @ 160 acres
Section 22 – the NW ¼, the w ½ of the SW ¼ @ 157 acres
Section 25 – the w ½ of the SW ¼ @ 80 acres
All of Section 26 except the NE ¼ and the e ½ of the NW ¼ @ 400 acres
Section 27 – the SE ¼, the w ½ of the SW ¼ @ 163 acres
All of Section 31 @ 117 acres
Section 33 – the SE ¼, the SW ¼ @ 322.50 acres
All of Section 34 @ 549.59 acres
All of Section 35 @ 640 acres
Tax Deeds sold by the State and Walton County create conflict
Through acts of Congress, the federal government granted Florida various categories of land after it became a state. In 1845, the federal government granted the new state 500,000 acres of “internal improvement lands.”The intent of this grant was that the lands be sold to fund improvements to roads, canals, and navigable streams for the purpose of aiding internal communications." In an attempt to orderly manage these federal land grants, the 1855 Florida Legislature created the Internal Improvement Fund, which consisted of title to internal improvement lands and swamp lands and all proceeds from the sale of such lands. The legislature then vested title to the internal improvement lands and swamp lands in the “Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund” (the governor and cabinet) and gave them authority to sell and transfer the lands as prescribed by statute.
Under the federal Swamp and Overflowed Lands Act of 1850, the Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund (TIIF) received title to two-thirds of the land mass of Florida.The lands were sold to homesteaders and speculators, initially at less than $1 per acre, and in 1920, lands sold for as high as $2 per acre. Property values during the 1921-1925 Land Boom increased five times over the former values. An influx of people and commerce to the state increased demand for roads, utilities, and bridges, and local governments sold bonds to pay for the improvements. In Orange County alone, a $7 million bond issue in 1926 financed 86 road construction projects. By 1929, local governments issued a total of $600 million in bonded debt. Property taxes and millage rates increased because the revenue to service the bonded debt came exclusively from property taxes
The Federal Government made it clear that the Territory of Florida is admitted into the Union as a Public Lands State on the express condition that it shall never interfere with the primary disposal of the public lands lying within them, nor levy any tax on the same whilst remaining the property of the U.S. Portions of lands in the area were distributed by the BLM to private individuals by patents issued. The BLM entrusted the State of Florida with tracts of unencumbered lands that were sold to raise revenues for the state. The State and subsequently Walton County were entrusted with approximately 7269.09 acres of land within the township boundaries of 1 South 19 West. The State sold the lands in various ways, and private surveyors were hired with the sales that were not employees of the State. The survey work was sub contracted out to independent contractors and the field work done was not followed up on or confirmed by the State to check for accuracy, nor were copies made or filed into the public records of Florida. Thus the fires destroyed the only record of these transactions. In 1977, the State of Florida legislated Statute 177.502 as the Legislature finds and declares that it is the responsibility of the state, and in the public interest, to provide a means for the identification, restoration, and preservation of the controlling corner monuments established during the original cadastral surveys, to which the vast majority of titles to lands in Florida are related and which they are dependent. All such monuments and evidence pertaining to the original government surveys are resurveys are recognized as historical and economic resources of the state and, as such, are vitally important to the orderly planning, management, use, conservation, and public enjoyment of Florida’s natural resources. In order to implement this policy, the department shall assume the responsibility for conducting a program of the identification, restoration, and preservation of such monuments. The State of Florida created a program called Labins in an attempt to comply with F.S. 177.501-10, where certification of section corners are to be recorded. However, once again the State relies on the work of private surveyors to provide corner certification to Labins, and does not verify the accuracy of the corner certification. This is not a remedy to the problem, and only supports faulty survey work further by making the corner certifications public, so other surveyors can use the “certified” corner. Most corner certifications filed with Labins reference trees that are much too young to be authentic BLM witness trees, and no noted attempt is made at archeological excavation for the remains of root masses on most to verify a true corner. Each section corner has 4 witness trees listed in the BLM field notes.
One glaring example of the problem with allowing private surveyors to certify corners is a case where a surveyor was unable to find existing witness tress in the area of a concrete monument, locally used by some landowners and ignored by others. An archeological dig was made at 3 referenced witness tree locations, and only one hole dug had evidence of a tree. The surveyor determined that the concrete monument was a true BLM corner and it has been certified. In the meantime, a sample of the tree evidence was sent to a lab to be radio carbon dated for age. The results came back that the tree time frame was about 1900, which made it too young to be a BLM witness tree. There was no other tree evidence found in the area of the corner. There is monumentation over 300’ to the south that appears to be placed by the USGS as a location for the section corner. This monumentation is ignored by surveyors as it is too far and therefore “discounted.” Discounting lightwoods stakes is also practiced in the area, which was the monumentation used by the BLM.
It would appear that not a single section corner within the entire State has been verified or restored by the State, as of yet.
Twenty of thirty six sections within 1 South 19 West were entrusted by the BLM to the State of Florida for public disposal for a total of about 7269.09 acres and are listed as follows:
All of Section 1 @ 640 acres
All of Section 3 @ 640 acres
All of Section 5 except the w ½ of the NW ¼ @ 560 acres
Section 6 – E ½ of the NE ¼ @ 80 acres
All of Section 7 except the s ½ of the SE ¼ @ 560 acres
All of Section 9 except the ne ½ of the SE ¼ and the se ¼ of the SW ¼ @ 560 acres
Section 10 – SE ¼ @ 160 acres
All of Section 11 except the s ½ of the NE ¼ @ 560 acres
Section 15 – the w ½ of the NW ¼ @ 80 acres
All of Section 16 @ 640 acres
Section 18 - the e ½ of the NW ¼ , the nw ¼ of the NW ¼ , the nw ¼ of the SE ¼ , the ne ¼ of the SW ¼ @ 200 acres
Section 19 – the w ½ of the SE ¼ , the e ½ of the SW ¼ @ 160 acres
Section 22 – the NW ¼, the w ½ of the SW ¼ @ 157 acres
Section 25 – the w ½ of the SW ¼ @ 80 acres
All of Section 26 except the NE ¼ and the e ½ of the NW ¼ @ 400 acres
Section 27 – the SE ¼, the w ½ of the SW ¼ @ 163 acres
All of Section 31 @ 117 acres
Section 33 – the SE ¼, the SW ¼ @ 322.50 acres
All of Section 34 @ 549.59 acres
All of Section 35 @ 640 acres
Tax Deeds sold by the State and Walton County create conflict
