Say no 🙅🏾‍♀️ to rushed plans to build golf courses and hotels on Florida state parks

August 25, 2024

Florida's state parks are at risk of being overdeveloped.

As part of the 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative, administered under Governor DeSantis, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has proposed the development of environmentally intrusive amenities, like golf courses and hotels, on nine Florida state parks:

Just seven members of FDEP’s Acquisition and Restoration Council will vote on the proposals. Prior to the vote, FDEP scheduled local meetings, during the workday, to solicit public comment, but only gave residents a seven-day notice. Mass outcry over lack of transparency and poor public engagement practices, even from top State Republicans, led to cancellations. Now the meetings are set for September 2nd. The time is still unknown.

Florida’s public state park system conserves the primitive and ecological beauty of some of the most sensitive areas in our state. We can’t allow overdevelopment to impair these natural spaces that deserve to be enjoyed by future Florida residents for decades and centuries to come.

The development of unsustainable golf courses and park lodges, that have more capacity than the average U.S. hotel, will ultimately hurt our state parks and ecosystem.

If you agree, join me in submitting comments to demand a more open, transparent, and accessible public engagement process that allows Florida residents to adequately weigh in on the future of our state parks.

Beyond submitting a comment to FDEP, you can directly contact the ARC members and let them know how you feel.

• Mara Gambineri - Mara.Gambineri@dep.state.fl.us - 850-245-2044

• Dr. Will Palmer - BPalmer@talltimbers.org - 850-893-4153 x226

• George Warthen - BPalmer@talltimbers.org - 850-487-3796

• Alissa Lotane - Alissa.Lotane@dos.myflorida.com - 850-245-6333

• Lynetta Usher Griner - usherlt@bellsouth.net - 352-493-4221

• Elva Peppers - ElvaPeppers@felsi.org - 850-385-6255

Talk soon,

Shelby

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Details on the Great Outdoors Initiative Draft Proposals

• Anastasia State Park - Plans include a “park lodge, with up to 350-room capacity” and the construction of up to four pickleball courts and a disc golf course. The average U.S. hotel holds 313 rooms.

• Camp Helen State Park - Plans include the construction of up to 10 cabins.

• Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park - Plans include the construction of up to four pickleball courts.

• Grayton Beach State Park - Plans include the construction of up to 10 additional cabins, four pickleball courts, and one disc golf course.

• Hillsborough River State Park - Plans include the construction of up to four pickleball courts and a disc golf course.

• Honeymoon Island State Park - Plans include the construction of up to four pickleball courts.

• Jonathan Dickinson State Park - Plans include the construction public golf courses and associated facilities.

• Oleta River State Park - Plans include the expansion of the cabin area by up to 10 cabins and the construction of up to four pickleball courts and a disc golf course.

• Topsail Hill Preserve - Plans include the construction of a lodge, with up to 350-room capacity, along with a disc golf course and up to four pickleball courts.