Nearly a square mile of marsh and uplands facing Fernandina Beach’s historic waterfront is being preserved for conservation after a decision last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s Cabinet.

The panel approved buying the 565-acre area around Little Tiger Island property as part of the Florida Forever initiative, filling a hole in a chain of preserved land stretching between northeastern Jacksonville and the Georgia state line.

“Little Tiger Island is the final piece of the puzzle to the connection of a network of national and state preserves,” Nassau County Commission Chairman Jeff Gray wrote in an endorsement of the purchase sent to the North Florida Land Trust.

Read the rest of this story at the Florida Times-Union, a Jacksonville Today news partner.