TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – City commissioners voted unanimously in a Wednesday meeting to delay the sale of land to the Capital City Country Club and to look at other options to finance or manage the club.
The vote comes amid pushback from local activists, and years after a cemetery was discovered on the land containing numerous graves of formerly enslaved people. While the city proposed a memorial be built on the site in 2021, it did not come to fruition.
During the meeting, city staff reported that most public responses recommended the city retain ownership or sell the land with significant restrictions.
Sixteen speakers signed up to address the sale to city commissioners, with many expressing concern about the long-term consequences of a sale and frustration about the lack of a memorial at the gravesite.
“What’s to prevent someone from changing the zoning back?” one speaker asked.
“Why hasn’t the memorial started already?” another speaker said. “We don’t want to hear about golf carts driving over the graves.”
Delilah Pierre, a community activist, said she knows very little about her past, and the community needs to recognize the gravesite.
“I’ve been robbed of the right to learn about my ancestry… the people who died there would be upset that generations after them know nothing about them,” Pierre said. “We need to respect the Black community and give them what they deserve.”
Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox said it matters if the golf course is sold or not, addressing a lack of a memorial at the site.
“I’m glad there’s great concern for the slaves who are buried on that site… work has continued but not at the speed we would have liked,” Williams-Cox said. “I’m looking at emails from 2022.”
The Tallahassee branch of the NAACP released a statement Wednesday opposing the sale, saying the initial lease happened in an effort to avoid desegregation, “and maintain its status as a whites-only private entity.”
Following public comment, Commissioner Jeremy Matlow said the city should avoid selling the property to ensure the city retains ownership of the gravesite.
He said the country club needs $2 to 4 million in investments, and floated the idea of the city offering the loan.
“It would guarantee golf is the future,” he said. “We can make sure the course doesn’t go under.”
Commissioner Curtis Richardson asked Mr. Baggett, the spokesperson for the country club, what would happen if the property isn’t purchased.
“There’s 30 years remaining on the lease,” he said. “It would remain in that state. The memorial will be installed with or without the sale.”
Happening now: The City of Tallahassee is considering selling its golf course to a country club, who currently rent it.
There’s a big issue: A cemetery containing the graves of formerly enslaved people was found years ago, but no memorial was ever built. pic.twitter.com/J0ToMDkGcC
— Matt Hoffmann (@ByMattHoffmann) October 22, 2025
Baggett said the club sought to purchase the land as they have a major course improvement project approaching that can only be completed if they have a title for the land.
When asked by a commissioner if there has been a delay from the country club on memorializing the gravesite, he responded, saying the club is working with the city and has given them an easement.
“Right now, [the gravesite is] just marked by rope on a stake,” he said.
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