DEBARY, Fla. —  A new push by the city of DeBary to preserve 170 acres on the St. Johns River from development cleared a key hurdle this month, winning support from state advisors for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet.

The city in southwest Volusia County teamed up with researchers in October to apply for the acquisition of the parcel known as Riverbend South through the state’s Florida Forever land-preservation program.

The strategy calls for including the parcel in a larger high-priority zone called The Wekiva-Ocala Greenway Florida Forever Project.

At a meeting December 11 in Tallahassee, the Acquisition and Restoration Council voted to include the DeBary parcel into that zone and moved the entire zone up from No. 6 on the state’s high-priority list to No. 3.

“So a lot of good things happened last week and we did get approval,” DeBary City Manager Carmen Rosamonda told City Council members December 16.

When DeSantis and the three-member Florida Cabinet will vote on acquiring the DeBary parcel with Florida Forever funds is not known.

The advisory panel’s blessing clears the way for state officials to begin negotiating with the owner. 

Thomas S. Recicar Trust, offered to sell the land for $3.9 million. The assessed value of the land for taxing purposes is $745,725.

Negotiations are based on reviews from independent private-sector appraisers on estimated market values.

DeBary envisions the riverfront property as a destination for a recreational trail network linking Volusia County to neighbording counties and throughout Florida.

Under the city's plan, DeBary would manage the property on behalf of the state and partner with a nonprofit research group, Aquatic Preserve Alliance of Central Florida.

The reseach group wants to build what it describes as the first center of kind in Florida located on a fresh water body. Other such centers are salt-water bodies.

The St. John River stretches 310 miles, flowing north from marshes in Indian River County and through Central Florida, until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean near Jacksonville. 

Riverbend South, while located on typically valuable real estate — waterfront property — has limited development potential.

The property, along with an adjacent parcel to the north, was approved for 250 homes under a plan dating back to 2007. That's when an economic slump hit, lasting through 2008.

The project, known as Riverbend on the St. Johns River, never materialized. It also went by the name Country Estates at River Bend.

Critics tried to stop the project before DeBary approved it in April 2007, saying new residents would generate more boat traffic and increase threats to manatees in the St. Johns River.

The owners kept the plan alive over the years by getting previous DeBary city council members to extend development timetables and make other adjustments.

The existing plan, established in 2010, is a partnership between the trust and River Ranch Holdings, the owner of roughly 100 adjacent acres to the north.

The acquisition of the 170-acre parcel known as Riverbend South for preservation and research would sever the development partnership, DeBary staffers say.

The owner of the 100-acre parcel would have to redo its development plan or explore other options.

Riverbend South has access to Fort Florida Road.

But only 20 of the 170 acres are high enough for development, Rosamonda said.

Supporters are optimistic about the state acquisition, noting the property's location on the St. Johns River, the state's longest waterway.

It is Florida's only American Heritage River, a federal designation recognizing historic, economic, and environmental signifance of the north-flowing waterway. 

Such designations help when ranking projects for land preservations.

Florida has acquired more than 718,000 acres under Florida Forever, which began in July 2001.

When combined with an earlier program called Preservation 2000, the state’s total acquisition spans more than 2.4 million acres since 1991.

The DeBary parcel is now inside the boundaries of the Wekiva-Ocala Greenway Florida Forever Project, which includes more than 80,779 acres with 22,156 acres remaining for preservation.