Florida – Wednesday, August 28, 2024: Environmental groups are welcoming the apparent change in plans regarding the controversial proposal to build golf courses and other recreational facilities in Florida’s state parks.
In Winter Park today, the governor said he has not seen or approved any plans to build golf courses or other recreational facilities at Dickinson State Park or other state parks. He said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would go “back to the drawing board.”
VotingWater responded immediately with a statement saying DeSantis had backed away from his disastrous plan for state parks.
The environmental group pointed out that the FDEP initiative not only affects golf courses in Dickinson State Park, but also “Plans to build golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County and 350-room hotels at Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Santa Rosa Beach. Pickleball courts and disc golf courses would have been built elsewhere. The plans would have had massive impacts on water resources and wildlife habitat.”
Friends of the Everglades also reacted to the governor’s comments and said “Our state parks are safe – for now,” and “after eight days of public outrage, DeSantis was forced to abandon plans to develop Florida’s state parks,”
Both organizations attributed the apparent change of heart by state officials to public outrage and nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday against the plan.