Preservation advocates urge Leon County to act after survey finds remains at Houston Plantation cemetery

A preservation advocate urged the Leon County Board on Oct. 14 to intervene at the Houston Plantation Cemetery for the Enslaved, which lies on the grounds of the city‑owned Capital City Country Club.

Delatry Hollinger, president of the National Association for the Preservation of African American History and Culture, told commissioners that a 2019 ground‑penetrating radar survey found the remains of nearly 40 formerly enslaved people and that professional estimates place the total burials at between 80 and 200. He said the site has not been maintained and that the city is preparing an agreement to sell the land to the long‑term lessee of the county‑owned property.

Hollinger said the city had leased the property for one dollar a year since 1956 and asked the county to consider intervening. He cited Florida law: “Under section 497.284 of the Florida Statutes, a county can take action if a cemetery is abandoned or has not reasonably been maintained for more than six months,” and noted the county can hire contractors and seek reimbursement from the owner.

Hollinger said a city sale of the cemetery portion to the private lessee would be “akin to a posthumous modern day slave auction” and argued deed restrictions could be circumvented; he urged the commissioners to use their statutory authority to protect the site.

Commissioners did not take immediate action during the public‑comment period; Hollinger asked the board to watch the matter closely and to intervene if necessary.