Press Release
By Bob Allison
8/24/25
I am writing here to provide a few details on our 38 acre property on the Saint Marys River in Kings Ferry. It is in fact two adjoining parcels. One is titled to Allison Lands Inc. and the other to Progress North Florida, LLC. My wife and I own both companies.
This property was previously held under a contract for over a year for purchase by Nassau County back in 2021. At the time, it was identified by County Officials as an ideal property for a new County Regional Park. The consultant hired by the County to inspect the property found it flooded. Needless to say, this was news to us. We have owned the property for over 40 years and it has never held so much as a gallon of water. We immediately determined the primary drainage from the property had been blocked and were required to file a lawsuit to restore the property’s historic drainage. The lawsuit has been settled, restoring the property to its previous high and dry condition.
We believe the property should be at the very top of the CLAM acquisition list for several important reasons. They include the fact that the largest sawmill in Florida, owned by the Mizell brothers, operated on the property for thirty two years from 1880 to 1912. This mill was the epicenter of commerce on the County’s west side and offered employment to hundreds of Nassau County families for nearly three generations. We do not know of any other historic site anywhere in the County that is more deserving of public ownership and protection from development.
A second equally important consideration involves the property’s unique location on the Saint Marys River. The single most underutilized recreational asset in the County has to be the six miles of wilderness Saint Marys River between Kings Ferry and White Oak Plantation. The combination of freshwater and long straight stretches of wind protected river make this area one the most ideal environments in all of Florida for watersports.The existing small boat ramp in Kings Ferry is neither safe nor large enough to accommodate the size of many of today’s family pleasure boats. It is worthy to also mention there is no measurable amount of parking at this facility. As part of any CLAM acquisition of our property, we are willing to give to Nassau County the riverfront portion of the property needed to provide a new, safe and usable boat ramp facility to provide public access to this outstanding Florida river.
I look forward to answering any questions that CLAM participants may have regarding this property. All are welcome to contact me by phone at 904-753-1576 or by email at [email protected]
