Reverse the Capital City Country Club Golf Course! Graves are not for sale!

John E. Dailey, Mayor; Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox; Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Richardson

The city of Tallahassee has begun the process of selling the publicly owned golf course on Santa Rosa Drive to Capital City Country Club (CCCC), which holds the remains of formerly enslaved people. If there is no immediate action, there is a high likelihood that with only verbal promises from the City Commission to relocate the memorial, the CCCC

will have free reign to deface and play golf over what remains an unknown number of unmarked graves despite the shamefully recent memorial marker. Despite the widespread public outcry to this obvious corruption, the City Commission brought this issue to the December City Commission Agenda in an attempt to pass it no matter what opposition appeared.

The City of Tallahassee has had a plaque about the memorial site since 2021, but waited until 2025 to install it. This wilful negligence has left these graves knowingly unmarked for years.

● We haven’t been given any new information regarding how many graves are actually on the golf course. With more time we could find out that areas previously considered “safe” actually hold the bodies of dozens of formerly enslaved people.

● The city of Tallahassee has not done the work to make sure to protect the historical site lying underneath the golf course, and in some ways has actively opposed or suppressed discussion about the creation of a memorial, despite public conversations in City Hall about the gravesite happening as far back as 2015.

● The City Commission has only given verbal promises to relocate the memorial, which would still give the CCCC permission to deface and play golf over the graves of what could be dozens or even hundreds of slaves.

● The CCCC became a private golf course in 1956 to cater to segregationists who wanted to prevent black people from integrating into the club. While the CCCC has had a handful of black members since that time, it didn’t open its doors to the public until 2015.

● It’s time the City stops putting the priorities of their wealthy friends and political connections over the needs of the Tallahassee Community in general.

Join us at the City Commission meeting on Wednesday, January 14th during the unagendaed items section to demand the City Commission reverses the sale of the golf course and respect the graves of formerly enslaved people.



To: John E. Dailey, Mayor; Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox; Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Richardson
From: [Your Name]

We, the undersigned residents and community members, are deeply concerned by the City of Tallahassee’s handling of the burial grounds located beneath Capital City Country Club (CCCC) and urge you to immediately reverse the sale of this publicly owned land.

The City has acknowledged the existence of a memorial site since at least 2021, when a plaque recognizing the burial grounds was approved. Yet the plaque was not installed until 2025. This prolonged delay left known graves effectively unmarked for years, reflecting a serious failure to act with urgency or care in protecting a sacred historical site.

To this day, the public has not been provided clear or updated information regarding how many graves exist on the golf course or where they are located. Without a comprehensive archaeological and cultural resource survey, there is a real risk that areas currently considered “safe” may in fact contain the remains of dozens of formerly enslaved people. Proceeding with a land sale under these conditions is reckless and irreversible.

Despite public discussions about this gravesite occurring in City Hall as far back as 2015, the City has failed to take the necessary steps to fully protect the site. In some instances, community members have experienced resistance or suppression when advocating for stronger memorialization and preservation efforts. These delays and omissions stand in stark contrast to the City’s responsibility to safeguard historic and cultural resources.

The City Commission has offered only verbal assurances that a memorial may be relocated. Such assurances do not protect the land itself and would still permit golf and other activity over burial grounds. Relocating a marker while allowing continued disturbance of graves—potentially numbering in the dozens or hundreds—does not constitute meaningful protection.

The history of Capital City Country Club further underscores the gravity of this moment. The club became a private golf course in 1956 during segregation, serving as a space designed to exclude Black residents. While changes have occurred over time, including limited integration and eventual public access in 2015, this history cannot be separated from the land itself—land that contains the remains of enslaved people whose dignity has long been denied.

It is time for the City of Tallahassee to stop prioritizing the interests of wealthy individuals and political connections over the needs, values, and history of the broader community. Public land must be governed in the public interest, especially when it contains burial grounds deserving of permanent protection.

We call on the City Commission to reverse the sale, commission a full archaeological survey, and ensure that this land is preserved with the dignity, transparency, and respect it demands.

Graves are not for sale.