North Florida Land Trust President Allison DeFoor dies at age 72

The Rev. Allison DeFoor, a seventh-generation Floridian who spent decades working in law, faith, and environmental preservation, died Tuesday at age 72 following a brief illness. As the president and CEO of the North Florida Land Trust, DeFoor spent his final years fighting against the rapid pace of Florida’s coastal and inland development, leaving behind a legacy that spanned the highest levels of state government and the quietest corners of the Everglades.

DeFoor’s passing was announced during a City Council meeting on Tuesday, where colleagues and city leaders described a man who was simultaneously a gentle priest and a “tough as nails” public servant.

A career defined by contradictory roles

Few public figures in Florida have worn as many hats as DeFoor. He didn’t just transition between careers; he occupied entirely different spheres of authority. He served as a prosecutor, a public defender, a judge, and the sheriff of Monroe County. At 28, he was elected as a county judge, eventually serving as a circuit judge. By 1990, his political trajectory peaked when he became the running mate for Bob Martinez.

But the legal and political grind existed alongside a deep spiritual calling. As an Episcopal priest and Canon to the Ordinary to the Bishop of the Diocese of Florida, DeFoor viewed the protection of the earth as a moral imperative rather than just a policy goal. This duality allowed him to speak the language of the courtroom and the cathedral with equal fluency.

“He was a judge, a sheriff, a lieutenant governor — he was everything,” said City Council member Matt Carlucci, who remembered DeFoor as one of the greatest public servants he had ever known.

The fight for Florida’s disappearing map

While his resume reads like a civic encyclopedia, DeFoor’s most enduring impact likely lies in the soil. He joined the North Florida Land Trust in 2018, stepping into the presidency in 2023 to lead an organization that has saved nearly 37,000 acres of natural spaces since its founding in 1999.

His influence, however, extended far beyond the borders of Jacksonville. DeFoor acted as the “Everglades czar” under Jeb Bush and co-chaired Florida’s Water and Land Conservation Initiative. Perhaps his most significant legislative victory came in 2014, when he chaired the passage of Amendment 1, which authorized the largest land protection efforts in the state.

The stakes of this work became increasingly urgent during his final years. In a 2024 interview, DeFoor noted that development pressures had “redoubled” during the COVID period, creating a crisis of urgency. He often used the phrase “It is now or never” to describe the window of opportunity to save Florida’s remaining wild lands before they were permanently lost to sprawl.

The tension between growth and preservation

DeFoor’s work existed in the center of a permanent Florida tension: the economic drive for expansion versus the ecological necessity of preservation. For DeFoor and the North Florida Land Trust, land is a finite resource that, once paved, can never be recovered.

North Florida Land Trust President Allison DeFoor dies at age 72

DeFoor’s approach was not to shout from the sidelines but to lead from the inside, using his experience as a law professor and the founding chair of the Project on Accountable Justice at Florida State University to build frameworks that could withstand legal and political challenges.

Mayor Donna Deegan described him as a "true son of Florida," noting that whether he was acting as a prosecutor or a conservation leader, he was guided by a deep love for the state's people and its land.

A legacy of civic saturation

Since moving to Jacksonville in 2015, DeFoor didn’t just lead the land trust; he embedded himself in the city’s institutional fabric. He served on the boards of the Florida State College Foundation, Memorial Park Foundation, Episcopal Children’s Services, and Operation New Hope, and acted as a trustee for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund.

His reach into the criminal justice system remained a point of interest throughout his life, including his role as chair of Tallahassee Community College, where he oversaw the opening of the first prison ever built on a campus.

Memorial arrangements for DeFoor have not yet been finalized. He leaves behind his wife, former City Council member Randy DeFoor, and a state that is significantly more green than it would have been without his intervention.

The tragedy of the “now or never” mentality is that the clock never stops. With DeFoor gone, the North Florida Land Trust loses a leader who had a background in law and a lifelong devotion to protecting Florida’s natural lands.