The Silver Springs, Ocala, and Gulf Railroad was assigned land grant

Land grant

A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...

s on March 12, 1879 by the state legislature of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. This was accomplished by Florida State Law Chapter 3170. This law required a set completion time in order for the land grant measures to take effect. This completion time was extended twice,with Florida State Law Chapter 3649 extending the time to December 31, 1888, and with Florida State Law Chapter 4261 extending the time to September 1, 1897.