Federal, state and local elected officials banded together to stop a controversial plan to develop multiple golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, all Republicans, led a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders with authority over the plan.
The document specifically takes issue with the proposal to redevelop large parts of Jonathan Dickinson Park in Stuart with multiple golf courses. It calls the proposal "ridiculous" and the process for approving it "deeply flawed."
"The communities around Jonathan Dickinson State Park are owed a public comment meeting in good faith with members of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC). It is the ARC that will actually vote on whether golf courses and hotels will be built in our park, and the public deserves the ability to make their voice heard," the letter reads.
The letter also bears signatures from state Sen. Gayle Harrell, state Reps. John Snyder and Toby Overdorf, and Martin County Commissioners Doug Smith, Stacey Hetherington, and Harold Jenkins. All of those elected officials are Republicans serving the Martin County area.
The affront represents just one bit of pushback against a Great Outdoors Initiative announced on Aug. 19. That includes plans for more active uses at nine Florida parks, which range from the installation of disc golf courses and pickleball courts to the creation of mass lodging expansions and golf courses.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, half of Florida's Cabinet, immediately raised concerns about the plan. Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and lawmakers from across the political spectrum also trashed it as a counter to the spirit of land conservations by the Florida Legislature in recent years.
A day after the letter about Dickinson Park with Florida's senators was sent, Mast followed that up with a demand for all public records at the DEP regarding the planned redevelopment of the 11,500-acre park.
"We will be doing a public records request for relevant FDEP staff and the ARC members who will be voting on whether to turn Hobe Sound Mountain Observation Tower into a par five," Mast said. "Our community deserves answers."
The DEP has defended each proposal on its @FLDEPNews feed on X.
"This golf course would ensure that locals and visitors alike have access to a popular outdoor sport and provide accessibility for all," the feed said about the Dickinson Park proposal specifically.
The suspicion greeting the plan seemed especially remarkable considering Mast served with DeSantis in Congress and was among the Governor's most prominent boosters during a first statewide campaign in 2018. Another prominent ally during DeSantis' initial run for Governor was U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who also decried the entire Great Outdoors Initiative as misguided.
"I know you love our Florida environment. We campaigned together on saving the environment in 2018. I saw your sincerity firsthand, up close," Gaetz posted on X. "Please use your excellent leadership skills to kill this anti-Florida Man initiative. Keep our parks natural."
The public outrage prompted the DEP to delay public meetings scheduled on Aug. 27 to consider the proposals at specific parks. Instead, the DEP plans to host meetings at larger venues on the week of Sept. 2.
To date, DeSantis has not publicly addressed the plan personally. However, the Governor's communication staff have been among the only steadfast defenders of the proposal online.
DeSantis Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern issued a statement to the conservative Florida Voice saying the DEP plans to hear input but that DeSantis believes in more active park use.
"The Department of Environmental Protection and the Division of Parks are looking at recommendations for ways to enhance Florida's parks to make them more visitor-friendly. There will be multiple phases of public discussion to evaluate stakeholders' feedback. The agency's initial recommendations are based on public input and proposals — from pickleball to golf to additional bike trails and camping access; the proposals vary and may not all be approved. Finally, recommendations will be evaluated, and no final decisions will be made until the public comment and review process has been completed," Redfern said.
"Teddy Roosevelt believed that public parks were for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and we agree with him. No administration has done more than we have to conserve Florida's natural resources, grow conservation lands, and keep our environment pristine. But it's high time we made public lands more accessible to the public."
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