Leflore County is a step closer to moving forward with plans for the former Florewood State Park.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed a judge’s decision that the 100-acre property should not revert back to its original owners.
Members of the Moor family sold the land to the state in 1973 to build the park, which recreated life on a pre-Civil War cotton plantation. Florewood closed in 2004 because it was losing money, and Leflore County took out a 25-year lease from the state in 2007 for $10.
The Moors sued to have the property returned to them, saying the state had failed its contractual obligations to use the land as a park and to spend $2 million on its construction.
A Hinds County judge ruled in favor of the state in 2008, and the state Court of Appeals confirmed that decision with an 8-0 ruling on Tuesday.
The appeals court found that the deed transferring the land did not require its perpetual use as a park but only that a park be built. It also held that money spent for furniture, exhibits and site planning counted toward the $2 million required for construction.
Don Boykin, a Jackson attorney representing the Moor family, said this morning he had not received the court’s decision yet and couldn’t comment until he’d read it.
The county’s lease with the state stipulates the Florewood property be used for “outdoor recreation and other related purposes.”
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
