Allison DeFoor, president of North Florida Land Trust, dies at age 72

The Rev. Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of the North Florida Land Trust, has died at age 72. DeFoor died Tuesday after a brief illness. He was a longtime conservation advocate who joined the land trust in 2018 and assumed its leadership in 2023. City Council member Matt Carlucci remembered DeFoor as a gentle man who was tough as nails, full of wisdom. An Episcopal priest with degrees in geography, law, criminology and theology, DeFoor worked as Everglades czar under Gov. Jeb Bush, co-chaired Florida’s Water and Land Conservation Initiative, and served as sheriff of Monroe County. At the end of a City Council meeting Tuesday, Carlucci told fellow lawmakers about DeFoor’s death, calling it a “very sad announcement.” As he made his condolences to DeFoor’s wife, former City Counci member Randy DeFoor, Carlucci called him “one of the greatest public servants” that he has known. “He had a great impact on our family’s life and probably thousands of lives,” Carlucci said.