Political opposition to Florida’s plans for golf courses in state parks grows

Bipartisan opposition to a plan to build golf courses and 350-room lodges on the site of a state park escalated into an outcry Thursday as more and more influential Republicans came out against the plans.

In an extraordinary act of unified opposition, all elected officials in the state legislature, Cabinet and Congress opposed the plans, which would result in sweeping changes to nine Florida state parks – including the construction of cabins, pickleball courts and disc golf facilities.

Florida Republican Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (Naples), who had pushed for an expansion of conservation areas in the legislature, said the state had worked hard to protect and improve state parks.

“Our vision did not include the addition of golf courses and hotels, which I believe are incompatible with the peaceful and tranquil enjoyment of nature,” she said in a statement. “As far as I currently understand, the proposal should not be pursued in its current form.”

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a Republican from Trilby, said he had only heard about the development plans for the state park from media reports but had “serious concerns.”

“We have to be very careful when we talk about building infrastructure in state parks,” he said in a statement. “Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz wrote on social media, “We do NOT need to commercialize our state parks” and “we should keep them natural, thriving and beautiful.” Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, also a Republican, told the website Florida Politics that the proposals were a “slippery slope.”

In response to increasing pressure, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has doubled its efforts.

In a series of social media posts and in statements to the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday evening, the agency defended the proposal, saying the new facilities are needed due to increased demand from residents for park space. Building a golf course in endangered bushland will be done in a way that “minimizes impacts to the habitat,” the agency wrote.

However, the unrest did not subside.

Next week, the state will hold public meetings about the plans almost simultaneously across the state, including at Hillsborough River State Park and Pinellas’ Honeymoon Island, both of which are set to get pickleball courts. Several protests are planned across the state.

But once those are completed, the proposals must also be approved by the Acquisition and Restoration Council, a 10-member group with representatives from several state agencies.

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In a Facebook comment, Simpson went beyond his public statement and said he would put pressure on the council to oppose the plans.

“I have one candidate on this panel who I will advise to vote no on most of these projects,” he wrote.

Some state legislators are also beginning to revolt. Although parliamentary approval is not required for the plans to be implemented, it is possible that the legislators will have to approve the financing of the projects in the state budget.

State Senator Jay Trumbull, who represents a ruby ​​panhandle district in Panama City, wrote on social media platform X that he was “strongly opposed” and urged his colleagues to do the same. Three of the affected parks are in his district.

“Our state parks should not compete with private businesses for lodging or other commercial amenities,” he wrote. “Our state parks are a treasure and they should focus on their primary mission: providing a sanctuary for those who want to experience Florida’s natural beauty in its purest form.”

Republican Senators Joe Gruters, Jennifer Bradley and Jason Brodeur commented on the post and said they agreed.

Republican Rep. Adam Anderson of Palm Harbor called the Honeymoon Island proposal “not only foolhardy — it’s wrong.”

“These actions could exacerbate existing environmental problems, harm our sensitive coastlines and estuaries, and increase the likelihood of red tides in the Gulf,” it said in a statement.

Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for Governor Ron DeSantis, defended the plans on Thursday.

“Teddy Roosevelt believed that public parks are for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and we agree,” he said. “No government has done more than we have to preserve Florida’s natural resources, create conservation areas and keep our environment pristine. But it’s high time we made public lands more accessible to the public.”

However, Redfern said the state would listen to public opinion and that “proposals vary and may not all be approved.”

This clash could develop into a power struggle with DeSantis at the center.

DeSantis, known as an avid golfer, oversees the Department of Environmental Protection, which is proposing the changes. DeSantis also has more influence over the agency than previous governors. In 2021, he unilaterally appointed its secretary without the approval of the rest of Florida’s Cabinet, a break with precedent that critics say violates state law.

Several of the plan’s vocal opponents, including Simpson and Gruters, have difficult relationships with the governor or have clashed with him in the past.

After more than two days of no response to The Tampa Bay Times’ questions about the proposals, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection responded after 9 p.m. Wednesday, defending the plans and their implementation.

The spokesman said agency officials “do not appreciate the suggestion” that the agency may be circumventing the law with its proposals.

“Contrary to the current portrayal of these proposals, everything will be done in Sunshine,” agency spokesman Alex Kuchta wrote in an email to the Times.

But former park officials reiterated to the Times that the agency appears to be skirting parts of the law that require public participation. Albert Gregory, a former state park planning director and a state parks system employee for more than 30 years, said key steps in the application process are being overlooked.

“Normally, we would have a public meeting right at the beginning and ask people what they think we should do,” Gregory, who is now retired, told the Times. “The state is delaying some important steps in the normal park planning process.”

The Environment Agency knew the plans would be controversial and cause uproar, Gregory said.

“So they’re trying to force it through,” he said. “And that’s the problem.”

In 2011, lawmakers drafted a bill that would have allowed famed golfer Jack Nicklaus to build golf courses in state parks. The plan was quickly dropped after public outcry. In a statement to the Times, Nicklaus Companies and Nicklaus Design said they were not involved in any of the current proposals.

In a late-night social media thread with 11 posts, the state environmental agency released a “fact check” on its proposal that confirmed the Times’ reporting and confirmed key details about potential development plans, including for Jonathan Dickinson State Park on the Atlantic coast.

“At Jonathan Dickinson State Park, we are considering adding golf to the park – one of our nation’s most popular sports – in a way that minimizes impacts to habitat and utilizes already disturbed areas,” the department wrote online.

This answer was not well received.

“This is a confusing garbage message (from the agency),” Florida author and environmentalist Jeff VanderMeer wrote on social media. “We need to stop this immediately.”

Below are the locations for each state park proposal meeting, scheduled for August 27 between 3 and 4 p.m.

• Hillsborough River State Park, Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa, Community Room D
• Honeymoon Island State Park, The District, 11141 US 19 N., Suite 204, Clearwater
• Oleta River State Park, Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, Kovens Conference Center, Room 114, 3000 NE 151 Street North, Miami.
• Jonathan Dickinson State Park, The Flagler of Stuart, 201 SW Flagler Ave., River Room, Stuart
• Dr. By D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, Downtown Event Center, 416 NE First St., Fort Lauderdale, Auditorium, Building C, second floor (Enter through Main Entrance B – clearly marked on the outside of the building.)
• Anastasia State Park, First Coast Technical College, The Character Counts Conference Center, Building C, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine
• Camp Helen State Park, Lyndell Conference Center, 423 Lyndell Lane, Panama City Beach
• Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and Grayton Beach State Park, The Lake House at the Watercolor Inn, 238 Watercolor Blvd. West, Santa Rosa Beach