# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 4/22nd Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 93

Chap. XCIII.—An Act to establish a town at St. Marks, in Florida.
Lands to be laid off into town lots, &c.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby, authorized to cause so much of the public lands at or near St. Marks, in the territory of Florida, as he may deem proper, to be laid off into town lots, not to contain more than one quarter of an acre each, and into streets, avenues, and out lots, and public squares, for the use of the town; and, whenever the survey of the same shall be completed, it shall be the duty of the surveyor for the territory of Florida, to cause two plats thereof to be made out, on which the town and out lots shall respectively be designated by progressive numbers; one of which shall be transmitted, with a copy of the field notes, to the commissioner of the general land office, and the other to the register of the land office for the proper district:Plan. Provided, That the President may adopt, if he shall approve such plan as may have been already reported to the general land office.
Public sale of lots.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the aforesaid town and out lots at said site, with the exception of such of them as the President may reserve for fortifications, shall be offered for sale to the highest bidder, under the direction of the register and receiver of the proper land office, at such times and places as the President shall, by public proclamation, designate for that purpose;Private entry. and all lots remaining unsold at the closing of the public sales shall be subject to entry at private sale at the proper land office:Prices limited. Provided, That no town lot shall be sold for less than twenty-five dollars, nor any out lot for less than at the rate of twenty-five dollars per acre; and they shall, in every other respect, be sold on the same terms and conditions as are provided for the disposal of the other public lands of the United States.
Improvements to be paid for.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That previous to offering the aforesaid town and out lots at public sale, the President of the United States shall cause the value of any improvements which may have been made thereon to be ascertained in such manner as he may prescribe for that purpose; and the purchaser at public sale of any lot upon which there are such improvements, other than the owner thereof, shall, in addition to the sum to be paid to the United States, be, and hereby is, required to pay to the owner of the improvements, the value of them as thus ascertained;Payment on day of sale, &c. and, if payment therefor shall not be made upon the day on which the same was purchased, the lot shall be again offered at public sale on the next day of sale, and such persons shall not be capable of becoming the purchaser of that or of any other lot offered at that ​public sale: Provided, That, if any lot so offered and bid off on the last day of the public sale shall not be thus paid for, the same may be entered at private sale, upon paying to the United States the sum at which it was bid off, and to the owner of the improvements the previously ascertained value thereof:Lots not to be offered for sale until, &c. And provided further, That the President be not authorized to offer any part of said town lots for sale, till he shall be satisfied that the site proposed for said town is not included within the limits of any conflicting Spanish title, which may not be released, or decided to be invalid.
Approved, March 2, 1833.