The governor’s big plan? Pave paradise to put up…a pickleball court.
Florida is currently a political battleground for some of the worst and most divisive insurance in the commonwealth . Governor Ron DeSantis has pushed forward anti - civic rights , anti - LGBTQ , and anti - climate measure during his six years in office to middling success . But when his administration release theGreat Outdoor Initiatives for 2024 - 2025there was — for once — unified pushback .
No matter where Floridian fall on every other political issue , modernize nine popularFlorida state parksinto golf course , pickleball courts , haunt - elan lodgings , and disc golf courses is phenomenally unpopular .
“ They are literally pave paradise , ” Heather Meade , a fourth genesis Floridian living in St. Augustine , tell Thrillist . Meade was one of thousands of people left distraught by the intelligence of development plans . Meade lives near Anastasia State Park , one of the nine slate for original maturation projects . She can list out the many protect and scupper wildlife that live in the park , on which DeSantis ’ administration plans to construct a 350 - way lodge .
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“ I am an one-year state park qualifying bearer and frequent the common as often as possible , ” Meade continued . “ They are some of the only areas of real Florida left for us to relish . State Parks are for the people of Florida . They are affordable and family well-disposed . There are mickle of hotels , condos , golf game course of action in our area and no need to convert the parks . ”
This was a constant refrain echoed in Facebook groups , Subreddits , X / Twitter yarn , and among the Floridians I spoke to for this story . near everyone , irrespective of political political party , age , or what kind of meme they , were parrot a like content : There are enough hotels , golf courses , and even pickleball court in the state of Florida already . “ To say that there is any justification for removing some of these decisive home ground and surroundings which have been jell by is a blatant lie and drive by pure avaritia , ” said Sasha Ernst of Tallahassee , Florida .
Throw a rock candy anywhere in Florida , and you ’ll likely hit construction . By 2022 , the state had the fastestgrowing universe ratein the country , which has created a eonian country of development to admit the new occupant , let alone the increase in tourer . In 2024 alone , more than1,000 hotel roomsare slate to be ramp up . Floridian are used to constant development , but place lands entail to bepublic parks ? That ’s a step too far .
“ There ’s universal identification that the intense development pressure in Florida is cannibalizing our last remaining unripe spaces and that these parks offer abatement , ” executive conductor of Friends of the Everglades , Eve Samples , said . “ They ’re sacred , not just for protected species , and of course that ’s important , but also and importantly for humans who live in Florida , I feel like these places can save us if we relieve them . ”
sample and Friends of the Everglades are most closely linked to Jonathan Dickinson State Park . Located in Martin County , the common boasts over 10,000 acres of wildlife , including the federally protected Loxahatchee River . In the DeSantis programme , golf class would be built over Jonathan Dickinson ’s preserved wild .
This park proposal specifically incited fury from the surround South Florida community , as well as across the State Department . Golf path are peculiarly environmentally destructive — some figures estimate that golf class in the US expend abouttwo billion gallonsof water per year , plus require the use of harmful pesticides . As Oli Mould writes inProspect Magazine : “ Golf course disproportionately take in resource ; to put it brusquely , they suck up water , envenom the land , and enclose the country to the detriment of the social and environmental health of the biotic community . ”
Julie Wraithmell , Executive Director of the Florida Audubon Society , shuddered at the cite of developing golf courses in the state common . “ God nix , ” Wraithmell said . “ turn them into golf game grade would require irrigation and fertilizer and eliminate habitats . ”
The Great Outdoor Initiatives was released on August 20 . Within day , over 45,000 people joined the Facebook groupProtect Jonathan Dickinson State Park . myriad others stood outside the green with protest sign . By August 26 , after sizeable public outcry and a lack of keep from both popular and Republican lawgiver , the proposalwaswithdrawn .
For now , the other eight proposals continue .
But there ’s no mansion that the organizing campaign around stopping the planned ontogenesis at the other state park are slowing down . Already , public hearings around the proposals had to be changed to admit the acquire issue of attendees . And even though the original times scheduled were exclusively in - someone and during work time of day , Floridians were not dissuaded .
“ I schedule to take the day off work , ” Floridian Kirsten Berg aver . Berg moved to Florida from Michigan eight years ago , and as an avid hiker , she was for the most part motivated by the country parks available to her in the Sunshine State .
Jessica Namath , the creator of theProtect Jonathan Dickinson State Park Facebookpage , urged all 46,400 extremity to keep fighting , peacefully . “ If the nation office decides at the last second to not keep JDSP in the mix , we need to swivel to stand the other Florida State Parks , ” the post point . “ We do n’t need any hotel or golf game courses in any of our state parks ! ! ! ”
Ultimately , it really is not that surprising that Floridians are unforced to take time off oeuvre , stand in the intolerable August heat , write letters , sign petitions , call their politicians , and generally cause a ruckus over their state Rosa Parks . The park are some of the most awarded protect lands in the state . “ Florida State Park System is a four - time national gold medal award - come through system of rules . There ’s no other land park system in the body politic that comes even close to winning that many times , ” Wraithmell said . “ These blank space are increasingly rare , and because of that , they have an outsized importance both to the wildlife that can last there and nowhere else , but also to the people who have few and fewer example of these kind of furious property to go to . ”
Karen Adams , 66 , an active camper based in Chiefland , want future generation to know the unbelievable wildlife , lifelike environments , and awe - inspiring aliveness humankind that she ’s been capable to explore in her lifetime . “ require a camper what they need , ” she allege . “ It is to escape , be outdoors , to learn our children what we grew up with , to appreciate our resources , and wonder at nature . ”
