Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday addressed the controversy surrounding the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s proposal to locate pickleball courts, golf courses and other facilities within the boundaries of state parks.
DeSantis denied any involvement in the plan. “It leaked,” he told reporters during a media event in Polk County. “I did not approve it. I never saw it.”
Honeymoon Island in Pinellas County is one of nine state parks on the FDEP’s proposal list.
The news sparked massive public reaction across the state and also led to bipartisan condemnation from Florida lawmakers.
The FDEP had originally planned public meetings in each of the affected areas. When the storm of protests broke out, the organization announced that the meetings would be postponed until “the week of September 2.”
DeSantis seemed to suggest that even that date was off the table, saying DEP administration would have to “start all over again.”
“They’re not doing anything this year,” he added. “They’re going to go back and listen to people basically. A lot of it was just half-baked and not suitable for prime time … and it was deliberately leaked to a left-wing group to create a narrative.”
The governor then touted his successes in protecting millions of acres of Florida’s wildlands, including the creation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
He spoke at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at an event marking Florida’s lowest crime rate in decades.
After he and others spoke, reporters bombarded DeSantis with questions about the park debacle.
“Will you be overseeing this office more closely,” one asked, “to find out how these plans are progressing?”
DeSantis responded, “From what I understand, people have been asking for some improvements. Some of the campgrounds. Look, as governor, I’m not an arbiter of how big this campground is or anything like that.”
“But that was done intentionally and left to a left-wing group to try to create a narrative that somehow the state parks are going to become one big parking lot or something. That’s obviously a false narrative and was never true to begin with.”
