Florida

pushback grows against Florida State Parks development plans

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2024

pushback grows against Florida State Parks development plans

DUNEDIN, Fla. – Florida has 75 state parks that draw millions every year. This week, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection released development proposals for nine state parks, including two in the Tampa Bay area.

The plan adds amenities and lodging to parks in what Governor Ron DeSantis has called “the great outdoors initiative.”

The sunshine state has more than 800,000 acres of land within its state parks – with 2.3 million visitors each year – including Honeymoon Island and Hillsborough River State Park in the Bay Area.

Florida wants to add golf courses, pickleball to state parks

Under the governor’s proposal, nine parks in Florida would undergo major developments, including 18-hole golf courses, pickleball courts and 350-room park lodges.

Plans for the state parks in Tampa Bay call for four pickleball courts at each park, and a disc golf course. It’s getting push back from local groups.

“We just feel really strong that don’t fix it if it’s not broken, and that the state owns a lot of land in the state of Florida that they could use to do something like that with that’s not a state park,” said Robin Miller with Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce. “It’s impossible not to disrupt the wildlife, the birds, you know, all of the things that each park has.”

Republican Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have come out against the proposal, along with other state officials from both parties.

READ: Great Horned Owl that escaped during Tropical Storm Debby dies after being rescued

“Florida natural spaces are unique and special, and I adamantly oppose Governor DeSantis’ radical plan to literally pave paradise and put up a pickleball court … Florida’s unique natural lands and habitats — our state’s identity and way of life — should not be bulldozed to cut developers a cheap deal,” said Representative Kathy Castor from Tampa Bay.

However, the Department of Environmental Protection said the plans only hope to expand public access to parks, increase outdoor activities and provide more lodging options to accommodate more tourists in these destinations.

Following major public interest in the plans, the Florida DEP said on Friday that they are rescheduling planned meetings for next week to accommodate bigger crowds. Meetings are now expected the week of Sept. 2.

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Florida

Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

Published

12 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Press Room

Indiana Fever player has her Florida State women’s basketball jersey retired

Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard’s Florida State jersey was retired Sunday.

Howard wore No. 33 for the Seminoles from 2010-14, starting 127 games. She also holds heralded spots in program history:

1,811 points, fourth-most
1,046 rebounds, second
186 blocked shots, fourth

Howard’s scoring total was second when she left the program. She led FSU in career rebounds before Fever teammate Makalya Timpson (2021-25) grabbed more. The blocks were third most when Howard left, but Timpson has more.

The Fever selected Howard fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, and she played her first two seasons in Indiana. She returned in 2025 free agency, averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for the league semifinalists.

Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube page for Fever Insiders Live.

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Florida

Coast Guard rescues eight boaters 35 miles off Florida coast in disabled boat

Published

1 day ago

November 16, 2025

Press Room

Coast Guard rescues eight boaters 35 miles off Florida coast in disabled boat

VENICE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Coast Guard boat crew rescued eight boaters on Saturday after their 26-foot boat broke down 35 miles off the Venice Inlet.

At 9:30 p.m., the US Coast Guard (USCG) says an Air Station Miami aircrew located the disabled vessel in two to three foot seas and sent a boat crew to the boat’s location.

The boat was reported overdue by an officer with the Venice Police Department hours earlier at 1:44 p.m., per USCG.

See also: Florida deputy rushes into blazing trailer to pull residents to safety

The Coast Guard says all eight boaters were brought back to the boat ramp uninjured.

“Before going out on the water, make sure you tell someone where you are going and when you will be back,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Beasley, a Station Cortez boarding officer. “We recommend being as specific as possible so rescue crews have a reliable place to start searching in case of emergency. Boaters should always have Coast Guard-approved life jackets, VHF radio, signaling devices, and an emergency position locator beacon or personal locator beacon.”

USCG also highlighted the importance of mariners taking a safety course before going on the water.

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Florida

Ole Miss football fans chant, ‘We want Lane’ as Rebels defeat Florida

Published

2 days ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

Ole Miss football fans chant, ‘We want Lane’ as Rebels defeat Florida

Ole Miss football took home a win in the “Lane Kiffin Bowl” in Week 12 with a 34-24 come-from-behind win vs. Florida.

Just as the Rebels closed off their 10th win of the season, moving one step closer to appearing in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, Ole Miss fans at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium made one thing clear to the Rebels brass and Kiffin: They want Lane.

As captured by the ESPN broadcast, “We want Lane” chants broke out in the Ole Miss student section after Kiffin has been linked to the Florida open head coach vacancy, on top of numerous other Power Four conference openings. It appeared not to faze him, as he remained locked in on the final 60 seconds of the game:

Given what he has done in seven seasons at Ole Miss, Kiffin has become a regular on coaching hot boards as positions become available across college football.

On top of his ties to the state of Florida, former Gators coach Steve Spurrier, who told USA TODAY Sports’ Blake Toppmeyer last month that he is a fan of Kiffin and thinks he is a “very good coach.”

“I wanted to be Steve Spurrier,” Kiffin said during a recent appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast. “When I watched him and his offenses in the visor and kind of the way he’d throw jabs at other coaches and team and stuff, I was like, Steve Spurrier is the man. That’s what I want to be.”

Kiffin himself has talked at length about his name being tossed around in the coaching carousel, including saying on an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” that he will never “make a decision based on money” and that he hasn’t made one based on money in his coaching career.

The win over Florida moved Ole Miss’ record to 54-19 overall under Kiffin.

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