Online Catalog - State Archives of Florida - Florida Department of State

State Archives of Florida Online Catalog

The Online Catalog allows searching and browsing of information about the Florida State Archives’ holdings of over 48,000 cubic feet of state and local government records and historical manuscripts. The catalog provides descriptions of over 3,400 collections and lists the contents of containers and folders in many of those collections. For assistance with accessing and using State Archives collections, call our Reference Staff at 850.245.6719 or email us at archives@dos.myflorida.com.

Details Page
Click on for detailed listing.

	Record Group Number:	000550
	Series/Collection Number:	.S 2686
	Creator:	Florida. Division of State Lands.
	Title, Dates:	Cross Florida Barge Canal legal records, 1935-1998, bulk 1960-1995.
	Amount:	32 cubic ft.
	Medium Included:
	Organization/Arrangement:	By Topic or Record Type
	Restrictions:
	Terms Governing Use:
	Biographical/Historical:	The Department of Environmental Protection was created by the Florida Environmental Reorganization Act of 1993 (93-213, Laws of Florida), merging the former Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Regulation. The Department's mission is to protect, conserve, and manage Florida's environment and natural resources. The Department's responsibilities include management and protection of Florida's marine resources, including endangered species and their habitats; protection, restoration, and management of environmentally important lands and their ecosystems; parks and recreation; water management; and pollution control and environmental protection. The Department carries out these responsibilities through several commissions and offices, including the Environmental Regulation Commission; Marine Fisheries Commission; Office of Ecosystem Management; Division of Air Resources Management; Division of Law Enforcement; Division of Marine Resources; Division of Recreation and Parks; Division of Environmental Resource Permitting; Division of State Lands; Division of Water Management; and Division of Water Facilities.
	Summary:	This series is comprised of records that reflect the legal process of the Canal Authority of the State of Florida acquiring land for the Cross Florida Barge Canal project. Three main legal categories exist within this series: condemnation files, court case files, and leases and easement files. Though early discussions on condemnation began in the 1930s, the bulk of activity occurred in the 1960s. The process of condemning and acquiring the land frequently culminated in Florida Supreme, District and Circuit Court cases. The defendants involved ranged from one private land owner to multiple owners that banded together, as well as Florida-based companies. The size of each case file reflects the scale of the trial and subsequent settlement. While many cases were short-lived, others were extensive, often producing multiple appeals. Canal Authority v. J. G. Perko and Canal Authority v. Harry M. Litzell, et al are examples of more voluminous cases. Document types within the condemnation and court case files include land appraisals, correspondence, and orders of taking, as well as depositions, transcripts of testimony, motions, answers, pleadings and final judgments. The leases and easement files document the activities of those lands in condemnation under pre-existing leases and those that the Canal Authority chose to lease out after the failure of the canal endeavor. In 1993, after the passage of Florida House Bill 1751, control of all Canal Authority lands and easements were transferred to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund. Much of the leases and easement files captured within this series reflect this administrative alteration and how it affected pre-existing lessees.
	Finding Aids:	Folder listing available. 0
	Additional Physical Form:
	Reproduction Note:
	Location of Originals/Duplicates:
	Associated Materials:	Other records relating to the Cross Florida Barge Canal can be found in Record Group 560: Canal Authority of the State of Florida.
	Language Notes:
	Ownership/Custodial History:
	Publication Note:
	General Note:
	Electronic Records Access:
	Subject Access Fields:	Florida. Dept. of Environmental Protection. Canal Authority of the State of Florida. Florida. Supreme Court. Marion County (Fla.). Circuit Court. Citrus County (Fla.). Circuit Court. Putnam County (Fla.). Circuit Court. Internal Improvement Fund, Trustees of. United States. Army. --Corps of Engineers. Levy County (Fla.). Circuit Court. Canals Florida Public lands Florida Public land sales Florida Real property Valuation Florida Environmental management Florida. Land use Florida Business records. aat Aerial photographs. aat Contracts. aat County maps. aat Deeds. aat Letters. aat Plats. aat Legislative records. aat Reports. aat Judicial records. aat Tallahassee (Fla.) Oklawaha (Fla.) Oklawaha River (Fla.) Withlacoochee River (Fla.) Citrus County (Fla.) Levy County (Fla.) Putnam County (Fla.) Marion County (Fla.) Ocala (Fla.) Ocklawaha, Lake (Fla.) Eureka Lock (Fla.) Rodman Reservoir (Fla.) St. Johns Lock (Fla.) Inglis Lock (Fla.)
	Added Entries	United States. Army. --Corps of Engineers. Canal Authority of the State of Florida.