Florida State Park Love Fests aim to protect parks

Last year, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed plans to build golf courses, pickleball courts, and hotels in nine Florida state parks.

It was called ParkGate by some environmental advocates and became a bipartisan issue with politicians and citizens from both parties taking a stance against it. Even the state parks that did not face development feared they would be next, according to the Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®. 

Since then, the Sierra Club has advocated for the protection of Florida parks against overdevelopment. The Sierra Club is an environmental organization that works to protect worldwide wild places and educate others on how to protect the environment.

This weekend, the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club is organizing the Florida State Park Love Fests all over the state, including at Honeymoon Island, Circle B Bar Reserve, and Hillsborough State Park.

These events include a variety of activities for attendees, including picnics, potlucks, hikes, guided nature walks, and even sign-waving in support of environmental protections. 

Michael McGrath, Sierra Club Lead Organizer and wants to make it clear that parks are for nature, not developers. 

The State Park Preservation Act is currently moving through the legislative process, however, McGrath believes that the language of these bills needs to be revised.

He believes that the language of these bills could lead to loopholes and allow for inappropriate development of state parks similar to last year’s plans. 

“This is really an all-hands-on-deck moment for Floridians. The bill is a great step in the right direction, but we want to make that language stronger, more protective,” McGrath said. “This is so that we can have a bill that ensures that we will never have a repeat of ParkGate again.”

These revisions would include the removal of references that encourage development, the removal of terms such as “to the maximum extent practicable” or “significant harm, and the inclusion of a section that explicitly mentions prohibited activities. 

These events should encourage Floridians to enjoy parks but they also hope to encourage swift action from legislators, McGrath explained.

For more information on the sixteen events, you can visit SierraClub.org/Florida.