EATONVILLE, Fla. – The sale of Eatonville’s historic Hungerford property is once again drawing controversy, as town council members confronted Mayor Angie Gardner during a special meeting Tuesday night over a deal approved they said without their input.
Council members gathered for a 5:30 p.m. for the meeting that stretched for three hours, mostly focused on the planned sale of the 117-acre property to Dr. Phillips Charities. The sale was approved in September by the owners’ Orange County School Board and backed by Mayor Gardner.
Emotions ran high as council members accused the mayor of excluding them from the decision-making process.
“I just want to say for the record, what you did was wrong,” Councilman Tarus Mack told the mayor.
Vice Mayor Theo Washington went further, calling the agreement a “backdoor deal.” Mayor Gardner denied the claim, responding, “There was no backdoor deal.”
Washington emphasized that the decision should have involved the full council. “This is a five-person council. You don’t make this decision for us,” he said.
In September, the Orange County School Board voted to approve the sale of the Hungerford property to Dr. Phillips Charities, a deal supported by Gardner. The development has outlined a four-year plan that includes an early learning center, a health facility, green space, a pavilion, and a museum.
Several council members said they felt shut out of the process.
“You sat out there and essentially sold this town out,” Mack said.
Mayor Gardner defended the approval, saying feedback during the Orange County Public Schools meeting in September was largely in favor of the sale. She added there were emails of people who supported the deal.
Gardner also said there were earlier meetings where council members could have voiced concerns but did not. Some council members disputed that claim, saying they did not learn of the sale until after it had already been approved.
Eatonville, founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved people, is one of the oldest historically Black towns in the United States. The Hungerford School once stood on the property and served as a trailblazing educational institution for Black students in the South. Today, the land remains vacant and is owned by Orange County Public Schools.
“I have always been saying give us the property or let us buy it back,” Mack said.
The mayor acknowledged that discussions surrounding the property have stretched on for years including the possibility of the town buying it or other past buyers. “We talk about talking, and then we don’t do anything,” Gardner said.
The contract is between the school board and Dr. Phillips Charities. During the meeting, Eatonville’s attorney said they could make recommendations for the site’s future use, but their power is limited since they don’t own the property. Some council members pushed for tax-based benefits for the town, while others raised concerns about affordable housing.
With members divided, no recommendations were finalized. The council agreed to reconvene next week to continue the discussion.
When asked whether the meeting accomplished anything, Gardner said progress depends on whether the council produces a list of recommendations. “If there comes a list of suggestions, yes,” she said. “If it doesn’t, then all we did was what we always do — talk.”
It was said during the meeting that the Orange County School Board could vote on the final contract with Dr. Phillips Charities as early as Jan. 13. Eatonville’s attorney noted for members to reach an agreement on recommendations before that vote.