Hernando County Commissioners Award Stewardship of Historic Chinsegut Hill to FAMU

Hernando County commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 29 to pursue a lease agreement that awards stewardship of the Chinsegut Hill Retreat and Conference Center to Florida A&M University (FAMU). The decision, announced during Black History Month coverage, turns on an unsolicited, no-cost proposal from FAMU and a five-year operational plan presented by university leadership.

FAMU’s proposal was submitted through its College of Agriculture and Food Sciences and the Brooksville Agricultural and Environmental Research Station (BAERS), which the university says sits immediately adjacent to Chinsegut Hill and spans more than 3,800 acres. FAMU’s five-year plan would make the university responsible for day-to-day operations of the property’s 56-bed retreat and conference center; Dr. Dale Wesson, dean of FAMU’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, presented the plan and says the site will remain accessible to the public.

County officials weighed finances as part of the choice. The FAMU proposal emphasizes that the partnership would come “at no direct lease cost to the County,” and county leaders cited fiscal stability amid statewide discussions of potential property tax changes when they favored the university’s unsolicited offer. Commissioners voted to pursue the lease, but no executed lease document or effective start date was provided at the time of the vote.

Chinsegut Hill carries deep federal and local history. The Manor House at 22495 Chinsegut Hill Road is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and anchors grounds roughly five miles northeast of Brooksville at an elevation of about 269 feet. The Robins family renamed the property Chinsegut Hill after acquiring it in 1904 and made multiple early‑20th‑century additions; later stewardship included a 1962 lease by the University of South Florida and subsequent modernizations.

Local preservation advocates mounted a competing bid. The Historic Hernando Preservation Society, represented publicly by Amber Lamoreaux, argued it offered a different vision and urged commissioners to prioritize public access and transparency: “Our vision is different: We are committed to keeping Chinsegut Hill a cultural and historical treasure that is open and accessible to everyone in Hernando County,” the HHPS Board of Directors wrote. A letter to commissioners from a correspondent identified only as Angier urged the county to give that local team a chance: “…They are genuine in their desire to help make our county succeed, and I hope you will give them the chance to focus their efforts on Chinsegut.”

Archaeological work and restoration fundraising predate the commissioners’ vote. A Gulf Archaeology Research Institute survey around the manor began in 2014, and a reported $1.5 million award to Friends of Chinsegut Hill funded a dig that yielded roughly 57,000 artifacts, including glass liquor bottle fragments, iron‑backed buttons and floral‑motif dishware. Gary Ellis, director of the Gulf Archaeology Research Institute, has been visible in local coverage of the site.

With the Jan. 29 vote, FAMU moves into a caretaker role in concept while several operational details remain unresolved: the county has not released a signed lease, the full terms of stewardship and any partner organizations FAMU will formally engage were not provided, and the timeline for implementing the five‑year plan has not been finalized. Commissioners, FAMU leadership and local preservation groups remain positioned to negotiate those specifics in coming weeks.