DeSantis plans golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson State Park

The expansive views from Hobe Mountain Tower are unmatched, as the ancient sand dune, rising 85 feet above sea level, is the highest natural elevation south of Lake Okeechobee.

However, the state park could change dramatically if the Florida Department of Environmental Protection builds three golf courses as part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ Great Outdoors Initiative announced Monday.

Here are 10 things you should know about Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

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Jonathan Dickinson State Park

• Jonathan Dickinson was declared a state park in 1950 and is the largest state park in southeast Florida. It is located at 16450 SE Federal Highway in Hobe Sound.
• There are 16 distinct natural communities and rare environments, including the Loxahatchee River, coastal sandhills, upland lakes, and scrub forests.
• The Northwest Fork of the Loxahatchee River, meaning “The Turtle Creek,” was the first of two rivers in Florida to be designated “wild and scenic.”
• Since the 1940s, the river has suffered from saltwater intrusion, which has killed many of the native bald cypress trees.
• The park is home to over 150 species of birds and the water reserve is home to many rare waders such as the wood stork, blue heron, tricolored heron, reddish egret and roseate spoonbill.
• Threatened and endangered species include Florida scrub jays, gopher tortoises, manatees and eastern indigo snakes. Visitors may also see deer, raccoons, foxes, otters, bobcats, turtles and alligators.
• Archaeological sites include prehistoric Native American trash piles dating back to 1000 BC, a fort and camp site from the Second and Third Seminole Wars, and Civil War military sites.
• It is named after the Quaker merchant Jonathan Dickinson, whose ship was shipwrecked nearby in 1696.
• Before it became a park, it was a World War II base that was home to Camp Murphy, a top-secret radar training school with over 6,600 military personnel.
• In the 1930s, “Trapper” Nelson, also known as Tarzan and the legendary Wild Man of the Loxahatchee, lived there and was known for his unusual zoo – until he was found shot under mysterious circumstances.