DeSantis Administration Plans To Add Golf Courses and Other Amenities To Some Florida State Parks Facing Heavy Opposition

On Monday, the DeSantis administration announced the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” which includes plans to add golf courses and other resort-type amenities to some Florida state parks. That plan was immediately met with opposition from the general public and from environmentalists alike.

In addition to increasing the number of campsites, cabins and lodges on park property, the initiative will increase the number of outdoor recreation opportunities available at Florida’s state parks, including pickleball, disc golf, golf and paddling.

DEP Announces 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access, Recreation and Lodging at Florida State Parks

In the press release, DEP also noted that Florida’s 175 state parks attracted nearly 30 million visitors in the 2022-23 fiscal year, generating $3.6 billion in economic impact while supporting over 50,000 jobs. 

1000 Friends of Florida said state parks offer passive outdoor recreational options. “They are not competitors for golf courses or other private recreational complexes, which are available throughout the state.”

Notably, Florida has over 1,400 public golf courses scattered throughout the state, and also has more than 1,100 pickeball courts for public use.

1000 Friends of Florida also noted that a new golf course at Martin County’s Jonathan Dickinson State Park would likely introduce insecticides and other chemicals into ecosystem there. “This is the treasure of the Treasure Coast. The herbicides that are required for a golf course would be terrible for this kind of fragile environment,” they said on the X platform this week.

“Something like a golf course going in would clear cut that habitat for the wildlife that call this home,” Casey Darling Kniffin of the Florida Wildlife Federation said of the plan.

The public has been quick to echo the environmentalists’ concerns. “Florida has plenty of artificial places for people to visit like theme parks, golf clubs, hotels, pools, and so on. We need to leave natural areas alone. Stop deforesting Florida’s natural habitat for profit,” said Fish McNeal on Facebook.

Tony Sitko also noted on Facebook that this is a plan that has been rejected before. “Flashback: In 2011, there was a brief push to let legendary golfer and golf-course designer Jack Nicklaus build golf courses on state parks The idea was to promote tourism and mirror the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama, according to WUSF. Lawmakers withdrew the proposal after immediate public outcry.”

For their part, Florida DEP released a “Fact Check” to counter what they view as confusion and misinformation. “Dr. Von. D Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is in the heart of one of Florida’s busiest regions. Converting an underutilized paved area to pickleball courts will benefit both locals & out-of-town visitors,” they said.

They added in another post, “Pickleball continues to be the fastest growing sport in the U.S., so why not add it to one of our most visited parks? The area near the South Beach Access at Honeymoon Island State Park is already modified and can be easily converted to pickleball courts.”

Finally, regarding the aforementioned golf course, Florida DEP said, “At Jonathan Dickinson State Park, we are considering the addition of golf – one of our nation’s most popular sports – in a way that will minimize habitat impacts and leverage already-disturbed areas.”

NOTE: This article was originally published by the author on Talk of Titusville and is shared with permission.