Commissioners voted 4-0 to resume discussion in May 2025 whether or not to ask the Trustees of the Chinsegut Hill Conference Center and Manor House to terminate or assign in whole or in part, the County’s lease of Chinsegut Hill, known by locals as “The Hill.”
The Trustees consist of Governor Ron DeSantis and his cabinet members, as the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida.
Facing a new budget season, Commissioners agreed to continue discussion at a date yet to be determined and come back with three potential lease modifications aimed to save the County $900,000 in the next fiscal year or request the lease termination. Commissioners will also discuss who could assume the lease, which could be the Tampa Bay Historical Society or the City of Brooksville, or shared between the two.
Commissioner Steve Champion was absent from the meeting.
The matter was brought for discussion by Commissioner John Allocco, primarily for the Board to decide if the County’s fiscal responsibility for The Hill continues to be a benefit to the Hernando County taxpayers.
While Commissioners were focused on the County’s fiscal responsibility and maintaining accountability to taxpayers, there was a divide with citizens at the meeting who had concerns about maintaining Chinsegut’s historic value.
Natalie Kahler, a former Brooksville City Council member, began the discussion by asking the Commissioners to table the matter until more information can be gathered. In 2017, it was Kahler who asked the BOCC to approve a 50-year lease for Chinsegut in order to better qualify for grants and loans to maintain the property.
Kahler, who continues to volunteer at and promote the historic site, said she was concerned about the recent removal of trees on the property. “I was in the middle of a tour when I directed the group to look out at the 100-year old Mexican Lucky Nut Bush … I turned around and saw that it had been plowed down … The next day, I started asking questions and found out the County had also budgeted $250,000 for a parking lot.”
Kahler contacted County Administrator Jeff Rogers, and learned that permits were already obtained for the paving of the parking lot.
Commissioner Jerry Campbell was concerned about the alleged healthy tree removal and directed Rogers and staff to investigate.
Kahler currently writes a blog focused on local history, and produces the Elizabeth Robins Diary podcast. Robins owned the Chinsegut property before it was donated to the State of Florida in 1932. After learning that construction could begin immediately, Kahler posted the information she had learned in her blog and contacted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about the unauthorized construction.
Referring to the current lease, Kahler said a Land Use Plan must be approved by the lessor, the State of Florida DEP, and “shall not be developed or physically altered in any way other than what is necessary for security and maintenance…” Kahler said she made a public records request for the Land Use Plan, but apparently, the document does not exist.
There was disagreement between Kahler and Chairman Brian Hawkins regarding which structures are on designated historic land since some of the structures were built in the 1960s, well after the Manor House.
Amber Lamoreaux, a volunteer docent at Chinsegut, gave her accounts of her work at The Hill, and a brief history of the area. She also urged the Commissioners to cease cutting any more trees or potentially damaging any more historic features.
Hawkins responded by saying, “There’s no discussion about the historical significance of this. What we’re discussing today is the fact that the County stepped in when (Friends of Chinsegut) went defunct.” Friends of Chinsegut was a non-profit organization that managed The Hill until 2017.
“What’s curious is the emotion behind it,” Hawkins said. “The upset [sic] nature of your presentation is like Hernando County is trying to get rid of the historical declaration of Chinsegut Hill. That’s not it at all. What we’re having a discussion about is whether it fits with Hernando County taxpayers, or does it fit with City (of Brooksville) taxpayers, or does it fit with a private organization taking care of it, or does it need to revert back to the State of Florida … I’m concerned that the narrative here is being changed and not real.”
Commissioner John Alloco also expressed concern about the announced discussion and the responses elicited from the interested public. He asked County Attorney Jon Jouben to talk about the planned changes, such as installing ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Compliant parking and restroom facilities.
According to Jouben, the cabins, conference center and dining area are not included in the Federal designation of historic land. He added that when a historic structure is updated, it must be brought into ADA compliance, so long that doing so doesn’t change the structure. Some of the buildings are modular structures that were built in the 1960s and determined to need ADA upgrades, hence paving the parking lot and providing wheelchair access.
Jouben referred to further language in the same paragraph as Kahler did in the lease, which states, “The Lessee shall have immediate right to repair or add to existing facilities, improvements or repairs that may be required and authorized by Division of Historic Resources, Department of State, the Hernando County Building Department; Florida Building Code, the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Health Department so that the Conference Center and Manor House can be utilized … that is what has happened.”
Gary Ellis, Director Emeritus of Gulf Archaeology, has spent time at Chinsegut Hill. “I work on national historic landmark properties … and I’ve had a long-term interest in Chinsegut Hill and our group has done most of the archaeology out there … just driving up the hill, you’re driving past things that are known to exist – they’re in the soil … You need to know exactly what this property constitutes, so that means that the public needs to have an opportunity to know what this property constitutes in its natural and cultural values.”
Ellis recommended a special public meeting so that the fiscal, historical and cultural matters could be addressed.
“My personal opinion is that it is a likely candidate for a national historic landmark. You do not want to relieve yourselves of that burden,” Ellis emphasized. “That would be very good economically for the county.”
Ellis also alluded to the possibility of archeologically valuable materials obscured by the newer buildings. “They did what they did, and they built where they built, but we have sufficient ground on that property to alleviate parking problems and issues with respect to impacting the archaeology. Some things need to be excavated … all the archaeology isn’t done and everything isn’t processed, it doesn’t mean there aren’t substantive findings there that you need to be made aware of to make your decision … I’m willing to come back … if you’re willing to listen to that as part of your discussion.”
Local resident Doug Davis understands the financial considerations and asked the BOCC to consider the attractiveness to tourists. “Tourism will affect the bottom line of The Hill – you’re going to make money off it. Don’t rush, let’s wait … You’re going to do damage by rushing.”
Giving a nod to the newly constructed bike route through the county, Davis said, “I want to see Hernando county as the destination for historical tourism as these bicyclists come through here … they’re going to spend the night somewhere. Let’s make it Hernando County.”
Addressing the disconnect between the goals of the BOCC and the preservation concerns of the citizens, Hawkins reiterated that the decision to be made is about the termination of the lease and who will manage the property. “We have to provide access to all residents, just not the people who can walk to it … so this debate about us wanting to get rid of the historical significance of this, to get rid of the archaeology, to get rid of the tourism, is just not true … as a County Government, we are required to provide access to all citizens. That’s the bottom line.”
Allocco interjected that the Manor House is currently excluded from any ADA upgrades.
Jan Knowles, President of the Historic Hernando Preservation Society and former President of the Friends of Chinsegut Hill (2008 -2013), told the Board that Senator Wilton Simpson lobbied for The Hill and appropriated $1.5 million, which only be spent for restoration.
Knowles said, “If the state of Florida thought we were worth it – just restoring an old building for 1.5 million dollars, I think we should at least do some more research, have a little more consideration. It’s all of our passion, as you see. It’s our treasure.”
Mary Sheldon, President of the Hernando Historical Museum Association, understands why the BOCC would want to terminate the lease. But she’s also concerned about Chinsegut’s preservation. “We don’t need a Ferris wheel up there, we don’t need a prison up there – which was really one of the proposals before the County and the City stepped in. And we don’t need a hotel up there. What the public needs to be able to do is sit in the rockers on the porch and look out toward the Gulf. They need to hear the silence. They need to imagine the carriages pulling up the hill.”
County Administrator Jeff Rogers added that the Tampa Bay History Center invested close to $500,000 when it took over the museum portion of The Hill. The county spent a significant amount on the air conditioning systems, water plant, groundskeeping and cabin maintenance. MidFlorida also made an investment in 2018, when many changes commenced.
Rogers went on to clarify that the County plans to provide pavement for two ADA-compliant parking spaces in front of the dining hall, a nearby modular building for bathrooms, with a sidewalk connecting the two. Roofs will also need to be replaced on the cabins.
Rogers added that the City of Brooksville also has a financial stake, as they are currently responsible for repairing bathrooms, sinks, appliances and furniture. “I believe the way forward for Chinsegut really is this partnership that we have, however, if it’s not in the best interest of the County, the State should step in.
Allocco maintained his position, citing numerous problems with Chinsegut Hill, “Now we’re in the position where the Manor House is being very well maintained, but the Retreat Center is going to continue to be a problem, and I can’t honestly say that it makes sense for the County to be spending this much money every year to maintain that portion of it, and then the City of Brooksville … because of all the continual Capital upgrades.”
Current Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) include $179,757 for the Chinsegut Hill Dining Hall Bathroom and preparation and installation of a precast Bathroom; $85,000 – Design & Construction of ADA improvements; $100,000 for Cabins 4-7 and Caretaker House Re-roof.
Future CIPs include: Chinsegut Int/Ext Painting of (7) Cabins: $65,000; Chinsegut Cabins 1-7 Flooring Replacement: $90,000; Chinsegut Water Plant Renovation: $50,000; Second phase of Chinsegut Exterior Renovation: $75,000.
The subject of bed taxes collected from the cabin rentals arose. However, these taxes are only applicable to tourism advertising and marketing, but not capital improvements, which is the category under which the current projects
fall.
Jo-Anne Peck, also of the Historic Hernando Preservation Society, said, “If you relinquish control of this site, you relinquish so much that it can be. If it goes back to the state, you will not have any control over it … it would be a very bad idea as far as what the County has.”
