Environmental groups are pushing back against a controversial plan called the “Great Outdoors Initiative.”
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection released details last week to build pickleball courts, disc golf courses, and lodging at nine state parks, including Honeymoon Island in Pinellas County and Hillsborough River State Park in Hillsborough.
1,000 Friends of Florida is a statewide environmental advocacy organization. The group focuses on strengthening community planning at both the local and state levels.
They are providing the public with as much up-to-date information to educate and engage the communities impacted. In an email, the group called the plans “bad proposals for our beloved state parks.”
“Honestly, the (plans) that have been proposed, we’d like to see them go away,” Communications Director Haley Busch said.
One of the main reasons the group has gotten involved was the state’s short notice for public engagement, according to Busch.
And even though FDEP has postponed the public meetings, people are still waiting for the new times to be released. Busch said quick notices make it hard for the community to get involved in the discussion.
“If they announce them one week from today, that’s still difficult for the average person to try and make plans to attend these meetings,” she said. “So, I’d like to see a more meaningful attempt at real public participation.”
Before FDEP initially postponed meetings originally slated for Tuesday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott penned a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s Acquisition and Restoration Council board members urging them to hold more substantial public comment periods for Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
“It is also imperative that FDEP give the citizens of Palm Beach and Martin counties every opportunity to have their voices heard on the topic. An hour-long meeting on a weekday afternoon when most people are at work will not suffice,” the letter signed by more than a dozen lawmakers said.
Following the bipartisan scrutiny, the developer Tuskegee Dunes Foundation pulled its proposal for a golf course at a state park in South Florida.
“We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location. We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park,” Tuskegee’s website said.
Developers and FDEP are starting to feel the pressure as well, according to Busch.
“Advocacy is working here. We’re seeing the public pressure coming in,” she said. “We’re kind of through the grapevine hearing that the EPA is frustrated by this, that the governor’s office is frustrated, and I think that’s appropriate. I think Floridians are putting the pressure on.”
Busch said the agency’s plans have a higher level of impact on the environment – like total development of a site and leveling areas for more parking lots and asphalt.
She added one of the great things about state and national parks is their low-impact accessibility.
“So you’re able to bring the public to nature without destroying nature. (It’s) the reason that folks are there in the first place,” Busch said. “You’ve got to make efforts to protect wildlife with as minimal disruption as possible.”
FDEP posted to X, formerly Twitter, about the efforts of the development plans. The agency said the rescheduled meetings are expected to be during the week of Sept. 2.
Despite Tuesday’s canceled meetings, some groups are still mobilizing and will protest Tuesday, Aug. 27:
- Emerald Coast State Parks, 5 p.m., front steps of FDEP Headquarters, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, 32399
- Oleta State Park, 10:30 a.m., 3400 N.E. 163rd St., North Miami Beach, 33160
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park, 2 p.m., 201 SW Flagler Ave., Stuart, 34994
- Honeymoon Island State Park, 2 p.m., 1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin, 34698
Public comment for the “Great Outdoors Initiative” is still open and available here.
