The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is considering the implications of a recent court decision regarding the Hungerford property. Kirsten Anderson, SPLC's deputy legal director for economic justice, stated, "We are reviewing the court’s decision, and plaintiffs are considering their next steps after the court’s ruling." She noted that the court did not address the lawsuit's merits but dismissed it due to a lack of jurisdiction since there is no ongoing sale of the property. "This means that the significant legal questions presented by this lawsuit remain to be decided for another day," Anderson added.
N.Y. Nathiri, executive director of the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, emphasized the importance of protecting this land. "This lawsuit was about protecting the land and ensuring that the School Board followed its legal duties to safeguard the Hungerford property," she said. Nathiri highlighted that Eatonville and charitable donors originally designated this sacred land for educational purposes.
The lawsuit began in March 2023 when it was alleged that Orange County Public School Board was improperly attempting to sell 100 acres of historic Hungerford Property without adhering to state statutes on surplus school property disposal. The SPLC sought a declaration from the Court regarding a 1951 deed restriction mandating educational use of the land. The proposed sale was subsequently canceled.
In November 2023, Judge Vincent Falcone III issued a preliminary decision favoring plaintiffs. However, in October 2024, Judge Chad K. Alvaro dismissed the case due to lack of jurisdiction because no sale proposal existed at that time.
Nathiri urged continued efforts: "We continue to call on the School Board to return the property to people of Eatonville so that we may exercise control over our land for future benefit."
Eatonville, incorporated in 1887 as one of America's first self-governing all-Black municipalities and home to Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston, was listed by The National Trust for Historic Preservation among America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2024.
The SPLC remains committed to supporting Eatonville's community voices and advocating for historical preservation efforts.