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

State Archives of Florida Online Catalog

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	Record Group Number:	000560
	Series/Collection Number:	.S 1727
	Creator:	Canal Authority of the State of Florida.
	Title, Dates:	Cross Florida Barge Canal administrative files, 1935-1991.
	Amount:	11.00 cubic ft.
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	Organization/Arrangement:	Arranged by topic or record type.
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	Biographical/Historical:	In 1933 the Canal Authority of the State of Florida was created to construct a sea-level ship canal across Florida. Initial construction began but was suspended when Federal funds were depleted. During World War II plans were developed to construct a Cross Florida Barge Canal; however Congress did not fund the project. In the early 1960s, funds were appropriated and construction began. The planned canal would connect the Gulf of Mexico to the Saint Johns River and would pass through Citrus, Levy, Marion and Putnam Counties. The entrance on the Gulf of Mexico site would be at Yankeetown and the canal would pass through the Ocklawaha and Withlacoochee River Valleys eventually connecting to the Saint Johns River. In 1970 various environmental groups organized opposition to the canal project. President Nixon in 1971 signed an executive order halting the construction of the canal. In 1991 the Cross Florida Barge Canal project was officially deauthorized. The canal lands became the Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation Area. In 1998 the Greenway was officially renamed the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, in honor of ecologist Marjorie Harris Carr, who helped to lead the opposition to the canal project.
	Summary:	This collection contains records from the Canal Authority of the State of Florida primarily documenting the history of the Cross Florida Barge Canal from its beginning to the decision to halt its construction. Included are court cases, newspaper clippings, Canal Authority Board minutes, correspondence, audits, Canal Authority administrative files, biographies of board members, and U.S. Corps of Engineer materials. Of particular interest are the newspaper clipping files which cover three decades. Initially the newspaper clippings support the building of the canal, but as environmental concerns developed in Florida, the clippings increasingly reflect the opposition that many Floridians felt toward the negative impact the canal would cause to the environment. After the canal project was halted, public concern shifted toward converting the former canal right-of-way into a cross Florida Greenbelt park system, and restoring parts of the Oklawaha River back to its original natural condition.
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	Subject Access Fields:	Cross Florida Canal Authority Canals Florida Court records. Clippings. aat Minutes. aat Cross Florida Barge Canal (Fla.)
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