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Q&A – The Florida DEP & Johnathan Dickinson State Park | 1290 WJNO

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Q&A – The Florida DEP & Johnathan Dickinson State Park | 1290 WJNO


Q&A of the Day – The Florida Dept. Of Environmental Protection & Johnathan Dickinson State Park 

Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.      

Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com     

Social: @brianmuddradio    

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iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station’s page in the iHeart app.       

Today’s Entry: @brianmuddradio What I don’t understand is how the state’s environmental arm could be involved in developing golf courses in the first place? 

Bottom Line: Yeah, that’s a good question. I’m going to breakdown what’s going on with the Johnathon Dickenson State Park proposal, how we got here, and what next steps look like in the process. First though, this is one of many notes I’ve received about this topic and the feedback has been unanimous. No one I’ve heard from thinks the idea of creating golf courses or various other developments inside Johnathan Dickinson or the other state parks is a good idea. Neither do I. We’d just recently received the news that after several years of hard-fought battles to reduce east-west Lake Okeechobee discharges, the Army Corps of Engineers finally adopted the new operating manual that will make it happen. Now, only a week later there’s this. As a conservationist, it’s a reminder of the constant challenges that exist in preserving/restoring the natural environment, that’s the crux of what makes Florida a wonderful state. So, let’s break this story down. 

On Monday, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced the launch of its 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative. As stated in the press release: The initiative will work to expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across Florida’s state parks—reinforcing the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians. When the release first dropped it didn’t immediately set off the firestorm that it quickly become in part because the Great Outdoors Initiative isn’t a new program, and it hadn’t previously been controversial. For example, last year’s Great Outdoors Initiative offered Floridians annual passes at state parks for 50% off and included free entry to state parks around designated state holidays. When the press release dropped, I don’t think many interpreted “increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across Florida’s state parks”. As building golf courses and lodging inside of Florida’s state parks. But once the details were released that’s exactly what the plans showed.  

Florida currently has 175 state parks. Johnathan Dickinson State Park is one of nine parks selected for an Amended Conceptual Land Use Plan as part of the State Department of Environmental Protection’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Under the state’s proposal, the park would have two 18-hole golf courses, one 9-hole course and a clubhouse built within the existing footprint. Now, as much as this proposal may seem as though it’s come out of left field. It hasn’t. It actually is part of an effort that was first attempted in 2011. Thirteen years ago, Jack Nicklaus spoke with state leaders about an idea he had to design golf courses inside of Florida state parks. Johnathan Dickinson was one of those parks. Following conversations, state representative Patrick Rooney proposed legislation entitled: Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail of Florida, that if passed would have had the state park’s service, under Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection, develop the series of golf courses as proposed by Nicklaus. The language of the bill stated: (that courses) shall be designed and built in an environmentally sensitive manner but also may include a hotel. That sounds awfully similar to what’s been proposed by the state’s DEP this week. For those seeking to stop the current effort from taking place, the road map as to how to do so is the same as what stopped the bill 13 years ago from becoming law. Significant public backlash.  

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The bill was withdrawn by Rooney in the house, as was its companion in the senate, after Floridians made their voices heard. In the words of Rooney: After much consideration and listening to the citizens of Florida, I have decided to withdraw HB 1239. Floridians spoke very clearly over the past several days on this proposal, and they are the reason I’m in office. I appreciate their concerns and hope this decision allays some of their fears. Well, on this issue anyway, it did for 13 years but now a similar plan is being advanced by a state agency as opposed to the legislature. Rooney also said this at the time: Please understand that my sole intention in filing this bill was one of economic development, my main objective in deciding to run for the state House last year. For those wondering why what may seem like such a wrongheaded decision to attempt this latest park development plan has taken place. That’s it. It’s an economic argument. But while it may be true that more tourism and more revenue may potentially be derived from the development of the parks, balance is also important. The state under the DeSantis administration has done a terrific job setting this state up for economic success. We don’t need to be developing our state parks to continue making economic progress.  

Like the ill-fated proposal in the state legislature 13 years ago, this proposal too should be relegated to the dustbin of history. As for those who do want to make their voices heard on this issue. A meeting with public comments will be held next Tuesday, August 27th, at The Flagler of Stuart at 3 pm. I’ve been told that the meeting area can hold 150 people, and that public comment is scheduled for 1 hour. I’d love to see an overflow crowd that would force the hand of those attempting to push forward with this proposal to take notice. In the meantime, you also can contact your state representative and state senator and ask them to advocate to the state DEP on your behalf. Already, Congressman Brian Mast, has stepped in on his constituent’s behalf – sending a letter to the state demanding greater transparency and responsiveness to concerned citizens. This type of proposal has been stopped once. It can be stopped again. The final decision in this process is a vote that’s to be held by the DEP’s Acquisition and Restoration Council.  





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GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds

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GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds


The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.

“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.

What to expect

  • 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
  • 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
  • 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
  • 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
  • Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.

For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.

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Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.

Other Friday highlights included:

  • 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
  • 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
  • 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
  • 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.



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Bodycam captures life-saving rescue of choking baby by Florida deputies

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Bodycam captures life-saving rescue of choking baby by Florida deputies


A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.

See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say

Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.

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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”



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Son of 2nd patient who died after seeing Florida surgeon describes family’s heartbreak: ‘It’s just not right’

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Son of 2nd patient who died after seeing Florida surgeon describes family’s heartbreak: ‘It’s just not right’


Weyman Dorsett knew something went wrong with his mom’s surgery as he watched an ICU doctor review her medical charts.

“I’ll never forget and it’ll never leave my mind, the look on that doctor’s face as he was reading through the files,” Dorsett, 53, said. “… He was just shaking his head, like: ‘what in the living hell is going on?’”

His mother, 70-year-old Dorothy Dorsett, was in recovery after a surgeon removed a tumor from her digestive tract. But she was hardly eating and had an abnormally fast heartbeat, according to a lawsuit Dorsett later filed. She was moved to the ICU nearly a week after the surgery.

“She just started really spiraling, pain,” Dorsett said. “She was not my mom.”

She died days later, on Aug. 4, 2023.

About a year later, another patient, William Bryan, 70, died after the same surgeon operated on him.

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The surgeon, Thomas Shaknovsky was arrested this week, accused of accidentally removing Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen, prosecutors said. Shaknovsky operated on both Dorothy Dorsett and Bryan at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast in Miramar Beach.

Shaknovsky and his lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment. However, he has denied wrongdoing in Dorothy Dorsett’s case in court filings of his own, arguing that some of the allegations were inaccurate and that descriptions of Dorsett’s care were incomplete. The lawsuit remains ongoing.

Do you have a story to share? Email reporter matthew.lavietes@nbcuni.com or reach us at our tip line.

The hospital did not immediately return a request for comment. Earlier this week, Macdonald Walker, a spokesperson for Ascension Sacred Heart, said in a statement that Shaknovsky “was never a Sacred Heart Emerald Coast employee and has not practiced at any of our facilities since August 2024.”

Weyman Dorsett filed a lawsuit against Shaknovsky and Ascension Sacred Heart last year, accusing the doctor and hospital of negligence. He spoke out for the first time since his mother died in an interview with NBC News on Thursday.

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“I’ve got two boys, a wife, now a grandbaby, and you know, I’m trying to be there for them, but, man, I’ve struggled mentally in dealing with it,” he said. “It’s just not right.”

Harrison Dorsett, Dorothy Dorsett, Mr. Weyman Dorsett Sr (now deceased), and Weyman Dorsett Jr.
Harrison Dorsett, Dorothy Dorsett, Mr. Weyman Dorsett Sr (now deceased), and Weyman Dorsett Jr.Dorsett family

On July 24, 2023, Dorothy Dorsett was admitted to the hospital after suffering abdominal pain, Weyman Dorsett, said. At the time, he said his mom was “in great health.”

“She was going non-stop. She lived on her own, drove everywhere, she went all over,” he said. “Prior to the surgery, she flew to my oldest son’s wedding in Bentonville, Arkansas, with a broken leg from a car wreck.”

At the hospital, his mom was diagnosed with gastrointestinal bleeding and acute blood loss anemia, according to the civil complaint.

The next day, the Dorsett family met Shaknovsky, whom Weyman Dorsett described as “odd.” He said the doctor prayed by his mom’s bedside before the surgery.

“It was way over the top,” Weyman Dorsett said. “It was very insincere to me.”

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He said his mother thought Shaknovsky was “very weird.”

That day, Shaknovsky performed a colonoscopy and found a tumor in Dorothy Dorsett’s digestive tract, which he removed on July 27, 2023, according to the complaint.

During the surgery following the colonoscopy, Shaknovsky did not perform a routine test, which would have ensured there were no leaks in a newly joined intestine, according to the complaint.

Shaknovsky told the family that the surgery “went great,” Weyman Dorsett said, but his mother’s condition immediately started to deteriorate.

He said that his mom was moved to the ICU on Aug. 2, 2023.

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Weyman Dorsett left that night, but his mother called him to come back to the hospital at midnight, saying she was going to die.

“My mom looked at me and just said, ‘It is what it is. I’ve lived a good life,’” he said. “And I had to sit there and watch her die.”

On Aug. 3, 2023, a doctor on call, Dr. Chun W. Chen, documented Dorothy Dorsett’s condition, according to the complaint, noting that he saw “more air than I would expect postsurgical” and mentioning concern “for bowel perforation specifically around the chain sutures in the pelvis.”

Chen added in the report that pockets of air had formed around Dorothy’s pelvis, according to the complaint.

“Although this may be postsurgical, cannot exclude bowel perforation,” he wrote.

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Chen said in a brief phone call that he didn’t remember the patient and declined to comment further.

That evening, Shaknovsky documented in a daily progress note the air and fluid collection in Dorothy’s pelvis, according to the complaint.

Shaknovsky did not advise surgical intervention due to Dorothy’s declining organ function and risks associated with anesthesia, the complaint says.

Dorothy Dorsett was pronounced dead at 5:29 a.m. on August 4, 2023, according to the complaint. She passed away surrounded by family, the complaint says.

“Until you go through it yourself, and to be there with my mom and watch her suffer, and to be there when she takes her last breath has been devastating,” Weyman Dorsett said. “I suffer every day. It’s a haunting memory that I can’t erase out of my mind.”

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Harrison Dorsett, left, Coleman Dorsett, back, and Dorothy Dorsett.
Harrison Dorsett, left, Coleman Dorsett, back, and Dorothy Dorsett.Dorsett family

Allegations of another botched surgery

On Aug. 21, 2024, prosecutors allege that Shaknovsky accidentally removed William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen during what was scheduled to be a laparoscopic splenectomy.

Shaknovsky, who had been licensed to practice medicine in several states, had his Florida license suspended about a month after Bryan’s death. Later that year, he voluntarily surrendered his license to practice in Alabama. New York then suspended his license in 2025.

Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan, filed a civil lawsuit against Shaknovsky in 2025, accusing the surgeon of causing her husband’s death.

After the suit was filed, Weyman Dorsett learned that the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration completed an investigation into his mom’s death in September 2024, after Bryan’s botched surgery and more than a year after Dorothy’s death.

The investigation found that Shaknovsky and other hospital physicians “failed to appropriately use diagnostic testing and delayed in ordering imaging to timely treat sepsis” in Dorothy Dorsett’s case, according to a copy of the report.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration did not return a request for comment.

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Shaknovsky was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Bryan, according to officials.

“It’s bittersweet,” Weyman Dorsett said. “You know, nothing’s going to bring back Mr. Bryan, or my mom and all the other people that are still out there that have been butchered and suffered.”

Dorothy Dorsett grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where she and her husband, Weyman Dorsett II, her high school sweetheart, raised their two children: Weyman Dorsett III and his sister.

“She just was everything you would think the American dream mom would be,” he said. “She led by example, best cook in the world. She was our rock.”

She and her husband moved back and forth from Alabama to Miramar Beach, Florida, about 30 miles west of Panama City. She moved to Miramar Beach permanently following the death of Weyman Dorsett II in 2021.

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Weyman Dorsett III described his mother’s passing as a “big piece missing.”



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