Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County was on of nine parks where the state proposed lodges, golf courses and other development last year.
Published on February 11, 2025 at 4:44 pm
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After a bipartisan uproar last year, the Florida Senate on Tuesday began moving forward with a bill that would prevent building golf courses, lodges and other attractions in state parks like Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County.
Environmentalists were outraged last year when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection proposed a 350-room lodge, pickleball courts and a disc golf course on the barrier island near St. Augustine.
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The plans were part of the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” which outlined proposals for nine state parks and sparked protests around the state.
The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill (SB 80) sponsored by Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, to prohibit such development.
Harrell’s district includes Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, where three golf courses were proposed.
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“Our state parks are so unique, and we want to make sure that they are there for the enjoyment and the conservation of our natural resources in our state of Florida,” Harrell said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration paused the proposal after the uproar, but Harrell and Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart, filed bills to try to block the possibility of such development in the future. The bills are filed for the legislative session that will start March 4.
“I think we were all dismayed last summer when suddenly out of nowhere these plans were revealed to pave over our state parks with pickleball courts and golf courses and hotels and lodges,” Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said during Tuesday’s committee meeting. “You (Harrell) are right when you say that is not the purpose of our state parks.”
The bill would allow construction of cabins with maximum capacities of six people at state parks.
Environmental groups backed the bill Tuesday, but some urged revisions to make sure the measure would cover other potential types of development. For example, Gil Smart, policy director of Friends of the Everglades, raised a concern that the bill could leave open the possibility of building a large marina in a state park.
“We just don’t want to be back here again next year, the year after, fighting the same battle,” Eugene Kelly, president of the Florida Natural Plant Society, told the Senate committee. “We just suggest that there should be a much-clearer statement on prohibitions of incompatible uses.
