A series of community meetings regarding planned developments on a series of state parks has been rescheduled due to the volume of public interest in the issue, with official scrambling to accommodate a massive turnout in opposition to the project. The plans, proposed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, would initiate the construction of facilities like pickleball courts, golf courses, and large hotels in the affected parks.
Originally slated for Tuesday, August 27th, the meetings will now be pushed back to an as-of-yet unspecified date and time on the week of September 2nd. One such meeting was to be held in St. Johns County, near one of the parks most directly affected by what the state is calling the ‘2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative’.
The closest park to home is Anastasia State Park, located in coastal St. Augustine. Anastasia is slated to receive a 350-room hotel if the plans go through, which state officials are defending along with other similar blueprints as a measure to increase public access. A disc golf course and pickleball courts are also planned. Hundreds of protestors gathered Sunday along SR-A1A in St. Augustine near the park to show their displeasure of what may come of Anastasia.
One potential contractor, initially linked to plans to construct a golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, pulled out of the project in the days following the public outcry. The foundation, Tuskegee Dunes, had said it was planning on using the course to fund veterans’ charities. Despite what circulated in the aftermath of their withdrawal, the potential for development at Jonathan Dickinson is not nixed – another contractor may well come along and take up the mantle of the project.
Political Background
State legislature candidate Adam Morley and Sarah Gledhill, President & CEO of the Florida Wildlife Federation at Sunday’s protest. ⓒ Adam Morley
“Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has significantly increased its investment in conserving its natural landscapes, acquiring over 260,000 acres, the majority of which are located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor,” the FDEP said in a press release last week. “In addition to increasing the number of campsites, cabins and lodges on park property, the initiative will increase the number of outdoor recreation opportunities available at Florida’s state parks, including pickleball, disc golf, golf and paddling.” The project as of now has the backing of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Already state lawmakers are beginning to express skepticism of the impacts the project will create. One is Florida Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Democrat who represents Pinellas County in the state legislature. An environmental scientist by vocation, Cross warned against the adverse effects of the developments being considered. “Many of these proposed changes are inconsistent with the mission of Florida State Parks,” she said in a letter to FDEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “This initiative must be slowed down, and each management plan amendment for each park must be properly submitted with sufficient detail, given proper public vetting in the form of duly noticed public hearings, and then proceed to individual review.”
Which Parks Are Being Considered?
The parks which would be developed on if the 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative is passed are as follows, with city and county in parentheses:
- Anastasia State Park (St. Augustine, St. Johns County)
- Camp Helen State Park (Panama City Beach, Bay County)
- Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park (Dania Beach, Broward County)
- Grayton Beach State Park (Santa Rosa Beach, Walton County)
- Hillsborough River State Park (Thonotosassa, Hillsborough County)
- Honeymoon Island State Park (Dunedin, Pinellas County)
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Hobe Sound, Martin County)
- Oleta River State Park (North Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County)
- Topsail Hill Preserve State Park (Santa Rosa Beach, Walton County)
