It shall be lawful for the properly credited agent or official of the State of Florida having in charge the adjustment of its school grant to apply to the Secretary of the Interior, or such officer as he may designate, for the survey of any townships or parts of townships of public land unsurveyed in any of the surveying districts of said State, with a view to satisfy the grant in aid of schools made to said State of Florida to the extent of the full quantity of land called for thereby; and upon the application of said agent or official, the Secretary or such officer as he may designate shall proceed to have the survey or surveys so applied for made, as in the case of surveys of other public lands; and the lands that may be found to fall within the limits of such townships or parts of townships as ascertained by the survey shall be reserved, upon the filing of the application for survey from any adverse appropriation by settlement or otherwise, except under rights that may be found to exist of prior inception, for a period to extend from such application for survey until the expiration of sixty days from date of filing of the township plat of survey in the proper district land office, which period of sixty days the State may select any of such lands not embraced in any valid adverse claim for the satisfaction of its school grant, as aforesaid, with the condition, however, that the agent or official of the State, within thirty days from the date of such filing of the application for survey, shall cause a notice to be published, which publication shall be continued for thirty days from date of first publication in some newspaper of general circulation in the vicinity of the lands likely to be embraced in such townships or parts of townships giving notice to all parties interested of the fact of such application for survey and the exclusive right of selection by the State for the aforesaid period of sixty days as herein provided for, and after the expiration of such sixty days any lands which may remain unselected by the State and not otherwise appropriated according to law shall be subject to disposal under general laws as other public lands: Provided, That the Secretary or such officer as he may designate shall give notice immediately of the reservation of any township or parts of townships to the officials of the local land office of the land district in which the land is situated of the withdrawal of such townships or parts of townships for the purpose hereinbefore provided: Provided further, That nothing herein shall be deemed to authorize the Secretary or such officer as he may designate to survey any lands within the exterior boundaries of the Everglades, as defined in Everglades patent numbered 137, issued to the State of Florida by the United States under the Swamp Land Act of 1850.

(Feb. 16, 1921, ch. 60, 41 Stat. 1103; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100.)