Environmentalists want assurances that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has abandoned plans for a series of golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson State Park after a state spokeswoman said the proposal had been dropped.
Audubon Florida, the Sierra Club and other groups are also protesting other changes the state Department of Environmental Protection is considering for eight other award-winning state parks. The plans, which include two resort-sized lodges, pickleball courts and disc golf courses, have drawn fierce opposition from Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, a little-known company associated with the park plans for Martin County, announced over the weekend that it would not pursue construction of the golf courses. “We did not understand the situation on the ground and are grateful for the clarity,” it said.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a statement Sunday saying the golf course proposal would be “removed from agency review.”
On Monday, the department provided little information about the background and plans of the Great Outdoors Initiative, which was quietly introduced a week ago and quickly drew the ire of residents and opposition from state, local and federal officials.
“We have not yet seen any public announcement from FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) that the idea, and not just this specific plan, has been scrapped,” Gil Smart, executive director of Vote Water, said in an email Monday.
Smart called the golf course plans the “most outrageous” part of the initiative and said “there are a lot of other bad ideas in there too.”
Opponents of the proposal have planned a series of rallies for Tuesday in St. Augustine, Miami, Stuart and Dunedin, as well as outside the Florida Department of Environmental Protection headquarters in Tallahassee.
Abandoning the golf course plans for Martin County Park will not end the uproar over the state agency’s multi-park proposal, according to Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida.
“I think people rightly have a lot of concerns about the proposal to put motels in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and Anastasia State Park,” Wraithmell said. “And then there’s also been a big outcry about things like the cabins with septic tanks at Camp Helen State Park on Lake Powell, a coastal dune lake. That’s a really rare resource.”
The initiative proposes building lodges with up to 350 rooms at both Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County. Plans for Topsail Hill also include four pickleball courts and a disc golf course in an “underused” area.
Additional cabins, pickleball or disc golf are also available at Oleta River State Park in Miami-Dade County, Honeymoon Island State Park in Pinellas County, Camp Helen State Park in Bay County, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Broward County, Grayton Beach State Park in Walton County and Hillsborough River State Park in Hillsborough County.
DeSantis’ spokesman Jeremy Redfern said last week that the proposal was intended to make the parks “more visitor-friendly.”
“No administration has done more than we need to do to preserve Florida’s natural resources, create conservation areas and keep our environment pristine. But it’s high time we made public lands more accessible to the public,” Redfern said Thursday.
Former Senate President Don Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican who is running to regain his seat in the House, blamed the department for the unrest and questioned the possible use of private companies to manage the state park’s facilities.
“We Republicans, entrusted by the people to run the nation’s government, believe in free enterprise and private property, and we oppose government using taxpayer wealth to compete with taxpaying citizens trying to make a living,” Gaetz wrote in an opinion piece published Monday.
The Department of Environmental Protection on Friday postponed meetings scheduled for this week, saying officials are looking for “new venues to accommodate the public” and that meetings could be rescheduled for the week of Sept. 2.
As opposition to the golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park grew, the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation announced Sunday that it would not pursue the project.
“In collaboration with the State of Florida, we explored Jonathan Dickinson State Park at the site of a derelict military facility,” Tuskegee Dunes said in a press release. “We were looking for improvements that would invite families to enjoy the great sport of golf while honoring minority veterans and highlighting the natural beauty of Florida’s beloved environment. We received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location.”
Jonathan Dickinson State Park was used for top-secret radar training during World War II. The facility, known as Camp Murphy, was closed in 1944, turned over to the state in 1947, and declared a state park in 1950. Only a few parts of the camp are still visible to park visitors today.
According to Delaware state records, the Tuskegee Dune Foundation was incorporated in Delaware in August 2021.
Alexandra Kuchta, spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, said Sunday that the Tuskegee Dune Foundation’s “plan to honor the Tuskegee Airmen is noble.”
“We welcome their decision to pursue projects outside the park and will continue to support the foundation’s mission,” she said in a statement.
–Jim Turner, News Service of Florida
