Hotels and golf courses are a non-starter in Florida State Parks

Posted by Admin August 24, 2024 Golf

Pam McVety
| Your Turn

I walk by Ney Landrum’s grave almost daily and imagine the ground is trembling and the marble tombstone is heaving right now over Gov. Ron DeSantis’s proposal to put hotels and golf courses in state parks. Ney was the director of the Florida State Parks from 1970 to 1989 and was without a doubt the toughest no-nonsense director that ever had the honor of managing the agency. If Ney was alive, all 6-foot plus, ramrod-straight muscle of him would be standing in the governor’s office telling him that this is a non-starter.

From all sources it appears that this bad idea, called the “Great Outdoors Initiative” came from the governor’s office and it proposes harmful development in nine of our beautiful state parks. Three are in northwest Florida, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Grayton Dunes State Park and Camp Helen State Park.

Suggestions include a 350-room lodge and up to four pickleball courts and a disc golf course at Topsail Hill Preserve which is known for its pristine beaches, freshwater coastal dune lakes, old growth longleaf pine forests and wetlands. Grayton Beach Dunes State Park could also get up to four pickleball courts and a disc golf course. Camp Helen State Park could have 10 additional cabins and a glamping area added. Glamping is a combination of camping and glamour, but no idea what that means in a park.

The Department of Environmental Protection says, “Our efforts to enhance public access, recreation and accommodations are for everyone.” That is, except for the animals and plants that call these special areas home and will be bulldozed to oblivion or covered with cement.

Their press release states that, “The initiative will work to expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across Florida’s state parks – reinforcing the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians.”

This is outrageous greenwashing, and these guys are not new to using this approach to try to sell you a “pig in the poke”. It also is blatant hogwash that this reinforces the “state’s dedication to conservation”. Sorry about all the porcine references, but a pig is a pig.

The only part of this statement which is true is the reference to the “outdoor recreation economy” because there is no doubt that these projects will line the pockets of builders and developers who are itching to build on the public’s land without having the expense of buying the land. These same folks will have the gall to name their hotels and golf courses after the habitat they destroyed, like the Sea Oats Golf Course or the Dunes Hotel.

The enabling statute for the Florida State Parks says that its purpose, is to acquire typical portions of the original domain of the state…of such character as to emblemize the state’s natural values, conserve the natural values for all time…and enable the people…to enjoy these values without depleting them. No part of this even remotely condones destroying the natural features of parks with hotels, golf courses and pickleball courts.

At last check major environmental organizations in Florida are united in opposing this – The Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation and most likely every retired state park employee, all the previous directors of this park service and many Floridians. Surprisingly, there has even been what one newspaper called, a “firestorm of opposition” from elected officials, including Republicans.

Governor, this is a bad idea, and if Ney was still around, he would look you in the eyes and tell you to abandon this proposal.

Tallahassee resident Pam McVety is a biologist, climate activist and life-long Floridian who proudly spent the last years of her state career working for the Florida Park Service.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Send letters to the editor (up to 200 words) or Your Turn columns (about 500 words) to letters@tallahassee.com. Please include your address for verification purposes only, and if you send a Your Turn, also include a photo and 1-2 line bio of yourself. You can also submit anonymous Zing!s at Tallahassee.com/Zing. Submissions are published on a space-available basis. All submissions may be edited for content, clarity and length, and may also be published by any part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.