“Due to the overwhelming interest with the 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative, DEP is looking for new venues to accommodate the public. We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. Public input is vital to DEP decision-making. To gather feedback on your favorite state parks, we’ve launched a dedicated webpage for more suggestions: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7983173/Great-Outdoors-Initiative. New meeting dates will be announced soon, with meetings expected the week of Sept. 2, 2024.” (FDEP)
So, the Tuesday, August 27, 2024, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm public hearing by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) at First Coast Technical College is cancelled so the state can maybe find a larger venue.
Or just as likely, in light of the state-wide uproar, to shelve their initiative altogether. We will see.
What’s at stake?
Who has the right to enjoy Florida’s state parks? Is it just the campers with their tents? The RV owners with their expandable mobile metal homes? What about those who don’t camp or RV, who might want to kick back in, say, a luxury hotel – er, sorry, a “lodge” – and stroll across the dunes to the beach? Why can’t they enjoy their state’s parks too, and maybe golf and play pickleball there on the pristine dunes?
On the other side of the exploding but predictable debate … a charge of an environmental sell-out, as stipulated in this new initiative on Change.org.
“… a misguided attempt to “reconnect Americans to the outdoors” that will devastate the very landscapes it claims to protect. The pristine habitats that make our state parks unique are crucial for wildlife and a significant draw for tourism. Our parks’ natural beauty drives visitors, not artificial recreational facilities.”
Anastasia Park is one of the 8 state parks targeted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to carry out Governor Ron DeSantis’ Great Outdoors Initiative, which calls for giving Floridians greater access and more things to do in their parks. On the plan’s radar are new “lodges”, golf and pickleball.
As Spoonbill Courier published on Thursday as the news broke …
“The area offers a potentially viable site for a portion of the lodge and associated infrastructure, the department says in documents posted online. Views from the lodge would include maritime hammock, dune ridges and the Atlantic beach, the department says.
The pickleball courts and disc golf course would be built in the general area east of the main park drive — adjacent to the north side of the Salt Run Use Area, which is used primarily by paddlers. If necessary, parking can be expanded to accommodate additional users, the department said.“
So significant was the news that even Washington Post carried a story: “DeSantis’s plan to bring golf to protected Florida parks faces pushback”.
Like all eight Florida parks affected, Anastasia State Park holds an almost revered position in the community for its retention of some of the original natural purity of Florida. And while the state resoundingly praised itself for expanding acreage in state parks, the rationale that seeped through was not environmental but financial.
“In Fiscal Year 2022-23, Florida’s 175 state parks attracted nearly 30 million visitors, contributing to an annual economic impact of $3.6 billion and supporting more than 50,000 jobs. Florida’s broader outdoor recreation economy continues to thrive, generating over $52 billion in economic output and supporting more than 460,000 jobs in 2022 alone—a 20% increase in economic output and an 11% rise in employment compared to the previous year.”
The idea of increasing access to Florida’s state parks is great in theory. But, as the uproar since is revealing, Floridians in love with their state parks don’t appear to favor destruction of the environment for another large ho…er, sorry, another “lodge”, and more with golf and pickleball. Not to mention the roads and ancillary services that would come with it?
Some have speculated one of the big hotel chains stands to benefit from this raid on what’s left of Old Florida. Certainly someone will reap a windfall. The question to ask, is “who”?
It is already pretty clear to many who stands to lose.
Resources
If the proposals are approved during the upcoming meetings, the proposals must then be approved by the Acquisition and Restoration Council, a 10-member group with representatives from several state agencies, following the public meetings. You can contact the Acquisition and Restoration Council and voice your opinion.
Click here for council member contact information.
Thanks Brian for keeping us informed of this nightmarish idea. Nature is free for all to enjoy rich or poor. We have a responsibility to do all we can to protect it for all our sake and future. I pray the very rich will not prevail.
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 overdevelopment before we see our town sink into the ocean!
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.
Thanks Brian 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.
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.
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!!
Adult entertainment is rampant in Florida and development is out of control, particularly with developers allowed to raze the land. We need to keep our green spaces and unlit spaces for wildlife to exist. That is what these parks are meant to provide.