Brandishing anger early Sunday morning, hundreds of St. Augustine locals descended on St. Augustine’s Anastasia State Park in a sometimes noisy show of strength. Amid honking horns of support, placards pointed a finger at Governor Ron DeSantis for threatening a beloved piece of old Florida nature. The signs below and some excerpted comments from an email thread, point at the frustration bubbling up locally.

And not just in St. Augustine.

Statewide, protests have been swift and furious. This latest initiative, unveiled Wednesday, spawned from the governor’s Great Outdoors Initiative announced last year, calling for 8 Florida state parks to open up to hotel and recreational development that some compare to a Disney theme park. Within two days, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), was forced to call off public hearings scheduled next Tuesday. Ostensibly there was a sudden need to find larger venues to accommodate the outpouring of “public interest”. Simultaneously, however, FDEP hastily created a website so Floridians could share their opinions, thereby providing the FDEP and the governor a much needed and belated reading of what Floridians really think about the entire project, as well as time to consider a way out of the mess.

FDEP Survey Link Take the survey!

As explained in a previous Spoonbill Courier post, the project entails building “lodges”, or hotels by another name, to be developed inside the eight parks and introduction of disc golf and pickleball on what has been considered, at least until now, ecologically sensitive land.

The news ricocheted from the Washington Post to local Jacksonville newscasts, to Facebook and into email threads, although notably at this writing, not the St. Augustine Record. Yet elsewhere, the uproar has been palpable. Even St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline diplomatically weighed in on Facebook with overlooked risks in placing a hotel, golf and pickleball on historically registered land (see below). But it was left to ordinary St. Augustiners who heeded a call for a spontaneous Sunday morning protest to make this a hot political issue.

An elderly gentleman was overheard on the street saying to a father with two young children, “I’m here…because of them”.

Signs say it all

Comments on a private email chain

“Dear DEP, your announced initiatives are truly moronic. Disk golf and pickleball courts belong in county and/or city parks – NOT state parks – while lodges belong in theme parks. Florida’s gold star rated state parks are a joy to experience and evidence the foresight of preserving special places for the public. However there are requirements for participants to keep these places special: a small entrance fee, following rules and guidelines, and volunteering or contributing to maintenance. The economic impact of our state parks is significant but your proposal ignores the emphasis on nature and the need to protect it. SCRAP THIS ILL CONCEIVED IDEA.”

“Moronic is the correct word! A Lodge TWICE the size of Embassy Suites proposed on one of our last remaining natural Sand Dunes! We need to fire (vote out) whoever proposed this!”

“It’s very disturbing that something like this would be considered, much less proposed.”

“Doesn’t DEP stand for Department of Environmental Protection? Something is awry here. Has the name changed to Destroy Every Park? Methinks someone’s pocket wants to be lined and it’s rotten in Denmark.” 

“Florida Man strikes again!”

Comments on Spoonbill Courier

Kathy says:

“Not sure who dreamed up this insane idea? Green space is disappearing while developers pave and build on land forcing wildlife out of their natural homes. Noise, air, and light pollution are ruining our area and causing more flooding and damage to our homes and businesses while the government makes more and more money with tax dollars. STOP this over development before we see our town sink into the ocean!”

Marla Vandyke says:

“What a horrible idea!! There are plenty of rooms at the Embassy Suites next door. Please don’t spoil the only remaining unspoiled land and park on Anastasia Island.”

Mohammed Mirzai says:

“Thanks … for keeping this front and center. From what I’m reading, the Saint Augustine mayor as well a few FL legislators have and continue to voice opposition to the ill-conceived, self-serving proposal by DeSantis and his mega-donors. We have registered our objections at all available websites. We need to keep the pressure on.”

Michael Read says:

“Good news that the Florida Department of Environmental DESTRUCTION has, for now, heeded the overwhelming opposition to its and Gov. DeSantis’s plans. Let’s hope the plans are ultimately tabled.”

John Martin says:

“Just sent in a scathing comment on that site . Horrible idea to build anything there . A 350 room lodge is nothing but a DeSantis Vacation home . Horrible idea the sewage and piping alone would be gross we have enough Steel,Glass, cars, pollution,and places to eat . It needs to be safe and clean . That’s it!!”

Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline, City of St. Augustine,FL

It’s simple. I will not support any part of this proposal for Anastasia State Park which is located in the City of St. Augustine city limits.

The Spanish Coquina Quarries, 1) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 2) are located within the boundaries of Anastasia State Park (see map) and 3) should be protected from development and, 4) are an important historic resource that should be preserved for future generations.”

‘Anastasia State Park is special for many reasons. One of them is that the old King’s Quarries are located within it. Any discussion regarding development of the park must take into consideration the value and location of this important historic resource.

Last Word

The FDEP offered this coming week as guidance for the release of new public hearing dates. Soon, it may not need them. And it may not want them.