Amid statewide backlash, DeSantis calls on DEP to put Florida state park plans on hold

Posted by Admin August 28, 2024 Golf

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Gov. Ron DeSantis is shelving – at least until next year – his administration’s plan to put golf course, pickleball courts and lodges in some state parks.

At an event in Polk County on Wednesday, he said he told Department of Environmental Protection officials to rework the proposal, released last week, after it generated intense bipartisan pushback.

“It was not approved by me, I never saw that. They’re going back to the drawing board,” DeSantis told reporters. “I’d rather not spend any money on this. If people don’t want improvements then don’t do it. That’ll be something that citizens will be able to do.”

The governor’s daily schedule for April 10 shows he met “with Founder and CEO of Folds of Honor, Lt. Colonel Dan Rooney,” a charitable group for veterans that previously looked into putting golf courses in Florida state parks.

“They’re not going to do anything this year,” DeSantis added Wednesday, referring to DEP. “They’re going to go back and basically listen to folks.”

The department issued a release last week noting its “Great Outdoors Initiative” for this year would entail increasing “campsites, cabins and lodges” at the parks and increasing “recreation opportunities” such as pickleball, golf, disc golf and paddling.

But details of the proposal, which include plans for the development of a 350-room lodge, 18-hole and 9-hole golf courses and pickleball courts on state park lands were leaked the following day, sparking a firestorm of outrage across the political spectrum.

“A lot of that stuff was half-baked and it was not ready for prime time and it was intentionally leaked out to a left wing group to try to create a narrative,” DeSantis said.

Republican leaders, including U.S. Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, and state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, criticized the plan and came out against it. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican who represents the Treasure Coast, said the plan would go forward “over my dead body.”

Democrats bashed the proposal, too, as did environmental groups. Protesters gathered at several state parks and outside the DEP’s Tallahassee headquarters to demonstrate their disapproval.

State officials insisted their proposal was aimed at expanding access to the parks, many of which have seen increasing demand for overnight accommodations. On Aug. 21, on the social media site X, the DEP posted there was “A LOT of confusion” about its plan while outlining the details at different parks.

What garnered the most attention and outrage was the plan for Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County.

“At Jonathan Dickinson State Park, we are considering the addition of golf – one of our nation’s most popular sports – in a way that will minimize habitat impacts and leverage already-disturbed areas,” DEP stated.

Still, the widespread pushback to the plans led DEP to delay the public meetings about the changes at each park.

But by Sunday a previously obscure charity, the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, said they had put forth the plan for the golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, but were withdrawing it because of the public outcry.

The organization is incorporated in Delaware and has two registered lobbyists, Ryan Matthews, the former interim head of DEP in 2017, and Joseph Salzverg. Both are with the GrayRobinson law firm.

After Wednesday, the rest of the proposal will lie dormant – for now.

Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.