Florida

Rubio, Scott call fast-tracking of Florida state park golf course plan ‘ridiculous’

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2024

Rubio, Scott call fast-tracking of Florida state park golf course plan ‘ridiculous’

In a scathing letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday, Republican U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott joined local officials in criticizing the rushed process behind state plans to develop golf courses on Jonathan Dickinson State Park on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

The officials called the scheduled one-hour hearing at 3 p.m. Tuesday for the public to weigh in “absolutely ridiculous,” adding that “not one” member of a state committee that is responsible for voting on the plan will attend the meeting to hear the public’s concerns.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans to hold near-simultaneous meetings around the state Tuesday afternoon for the public to comment on its designs to add golf courses, 350-room lodges, pickleball courts, disc golf courses and more to nine state parks. After these meetings, a state committee called the Acquisition and Restoration Council will vote on whether to move forward.

DeSantis admin wants to put golf courses, pickleball courts and more in Florida state parks

“We believe every voting member of the (Acquisition and Restoration Council) must attend a public comment meeting before taking any action regarding the proposal,” the letter reads. “An hour-long meeting on a weekday afternoon when most people are at work will not suffice.”

The letter focuses primarily on critiquing the process for allowing the public to weigh in on the proposal for one park, rather than comment more broadly on the DeSantis administration’s designs for amenities in nine parks total. Since they were revealed earlier this week, the plans have brought an unusually swift and crushing wave of bipartisan blowback. In response, the DeSantis administration has doubled down.

Jonathan Dickinson is home to the largest amount of protected scrub-jay habitat in Southeast Florida. The Department of Environmental Protection has said it would “minimize” the impact to sensitive habitats. It posted on social media Friday that one of the pickleball courts in Broward County’s Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park would be built on land that’s already a parking lot.

Jeremy Redfern, a DeSantis spokesperson, has said that the additional amenities would make the parks “more accessible to the public.”

Neither DeSantis’ office nor the Department of Environmental Protection immediately responded to emails seeking comment on the letter Friday.

Documents from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection show plans to develop a golf course which would require tearing down the landmark Hobe Mountain observation tower and staff houses. [ Courtesy of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection ]

This is not Scott’s first brush with public outrage on this topic. In 2011, when Scott was governor, he played a role in a similar plan to build golf courses on state parks, the Tampa Bay Times reported at the time. Proposed legislation had reportedly emerged after discussions between golfer Jack Nicklaus and Scott, Nicklaus’ lobbyist said then.

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In a statement to the Times, Nicklaus Companies and Nicklaus Design said they have no involvement in any current proposals.

The letter demanded two meetings, one in Stuart and one in Jupiter, “both for as long as it takes to hear all concerns.” It suggested holding them after Thanksgiving, when more part-time residents will be in Florida for the winter, to give the process more “credibility.”

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Stuart, who represents the district that includes Jonathan Dickinson State Park, also signed on to the letter. Earlier this week, Mast urged voting members of the Acquisition and Restoration Council to attend the public meeting scheduled for Tuesday so they could be eye-to-eye with the residents affected by the proposed development. In a phone interview Friday, Mast said he had yet to hear a response from a single council member.

“They’re going to try and develop something without disturbing it? How about they just don’t disturb it,” Mast said.

In addition to Scott, Rubio and Mast, 12 other Treasure Coast officials signed the letter, including state Sen. Gayle Harrell, Reps. Toby Overdorf and John Snyder, and county commissioners from Martin and Palm Beach counties.

Below are the locations for each state park proposal meeting scheduled for Aug. 27 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Hillsborough River State Park, Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa, Community Room D
Honeymoon Island State Park, The District, 11141 U.S. 19 N., Suite 204, Clearwater
Oleta River State Park, Florida International University, Biscayne Bay campus, Kovens Conference Center, Room 114, 3000 NE 151 Street North, Miami.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park, The Flagler of Stuart, 201 SW Flagler Ave., River Room, Stuart
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, Downtown Event Center, 416 NE First St., Fort Lauderdale, Lecture Hall, Building C, second floor (Enter at Main Entrance B — clearly marked on the outside of the building.)
Anastasia State Park, First Coast Technical College, The Character Counts Conference Center, Building C, 2980 Collins Ave., St. Augustine
Camp Helen State Park, Lyndell Conference Center, 423 Lyndell Lane, Panama City Beach
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and Grayton Beach State Park, The Lakehouse at the Watercolor Inn, 238 Watercolor Blvd. West, Santa Rosa Beach

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Florida

What Rick Barnes is searching for after Tennessee’s brutal loss to Florida

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

What Rick Barnes is searching for after Tennessee’s brutal loss to Florida

Four minutes can alter a season.

Well, 3 minutes and 51 seconds, to be exact. In that span, Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes began to question his team’s resolve.

Unranked Florida (11-5, 2-1 SEC), the defending conference and national champion, got everything it wanted and more against No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 1-2) in a 91-67 romp at Stephen O’Connell Center on Jan. 10.

In the final 3:51 of the first half, the Vols committed four turnovers and could not convert a single field goal. Overall, they turned the ball over 18 times (12 in the first half), resulting in 30 points for the Gators.

“Thirty points off turnovers, you don’t have a chance,” Barnes said after the game. “Last four minutes of the first half, just really poor basketball. I’ll take the blame for it because I don’t know if I’ve had a team play that bad, doing the things and making the decisions they made. It was just really poor basketball.”

Tennessee associate coach Justin Gainey tried to warn his team about the physicality in the matchup. The Vols matched Florida’s tempo until those final four minutes of the half, then continued to unravel in the second.

Although several of the guards on Florida’s championship team moved on to the NBA, the Gators retained their top big men. Barnes knew winning the frontcourt battle would go a long way in securing the Vols’ first road victory this season.

“Our whole deal was, we wanted a front line that could help us, but we’re not there yet,” Barnes said. “Can we get there? It’s a long way to go. I hope this game is a game we’ll look back on and think, ‘OK, these guys showed us what it takes to win at the highest level.’ “

Florida’s front court of Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon combined for 41 points and 26 rebounds, a jarring contrast to Tennessee’s 30 team rebounds. Chinyelu alone had 16 rebounds, plus 17 points.

“If he didn’t catch it where he wanted it, he caught it and got to where he wanted it,” Barnes said about Chinyelu. “He dominated the game from an inside perspective. I thought today, if nothing else, we’re going to find out if we’re going to get out of the comfort zone our guys are in to compete against a team like that, especially on the front line.”

Ament has some ideas

Tennessee fought fires on two sides. While the Vols had trouble dealing with Florida’s frontcourt, guard Boogie Fland torched them all over the floor. Fland, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer since Dec. 21, finished with 23 points and knocked down 3-of-6 from long distance. He also added five assists, four steals and three rebounds and was key to extending Florida’s lead early in the second half.

Although Barnes couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his squad, Nate Ament, who led the Vols with 17 points, tried to diagnose the illness.

“You’ve seen that when we get uncomfortable, we lay down a little bit,” he said. “Knowing teams prior, that’s just never been the team Tennessee has been. I’m sure Coach Barnes is going to make sure we fix that. For us, we have to be more competitive. You could chalk up all our mistakes to them being more competitive than us. Props to them for playing harder than us, turning us over and rebounding every loose ball.”

Tennessee welcomes Texas A&M (13-3, 3-0) at Food City Center at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 13 (SEC Network). The Aggies just earned their sixth straight victory after beating Oklahoma 83-76 on Jan. 10.

Barnes is eager to see how his players bounce back.

“I think it’s great to see how we’re going to respond,” he said. “If we’ve got the kind of players that we think we have, we’ll learn from this.”

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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Florida

Florida Lands Late Commitment From 2026 TE

Published

24 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Florida Lands Late Commitment From 2026 TE

While all eyes may be on the transfer portal and the upcoming 2027 recruiting class, the Florida Gators football program continues to beef up its current recruiting class.

Based on a post made to his personal Instagram page, the Gators have landed a preferred walk-on commitment from class of 2026 tight end Tripp Brown.

According to Rivals’ recruiting rankings, Brown is a three-star prospect with several Division I offers. Before deciding to attend Florida, he had offers from programs like Toledo, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan.

Earlier in the week, he announced on his X profile that new Gators tight ends coach Evan McKissack had extended him an offer.

As it stands, 247 Sports ranks Florida’s 2026 recruiting class 15th nationally and eighth in the SEC. With Brown’s commitment, he joins Heze Kent as the Gators’ two tight ends in this incoming class.

During his time at Tampa Plant High School, where he ws teammates with current UF running back Duke Clark, the 6-foot-5, 237-pound tight end made his presence felt all over the field, finishing his high school career with 2,270 all-purpose yards and 25 total touchdowns. The incoming freshman was a two-time All-County selection and also earned an All-State nod during his high school days.

This season, Brown hauled in 15 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, with his receiving production limited by having to spend time filling in as an emergency quarterback. While under center, he threw 68 times for a total of six touchdowns and 419 yards while completing 51.5 percent of his passes.

Through three varsity seasons, he has caught 57 passes for 699 yards and six touchdowns.

He helped lead the Panthers to the first round of the 2025 FHSAA Football State Championships before ultimately falling to South Lake High School, 37-36. In 2023, Plant reached the state semifinals before losing to South Florida powerhouse Miami Christopher Columbus High School.

A quick look at his film shows a physically gifted, willing blocker who’s also a capable route runner and uses his large frame to shed defenders after the catch.

With former Gators starting tight end Hayden Hansen and backup Cameron Kossman entering the transfer portal, Florida is likely looking to build some depth at the position ahead of next season.

As of Friday, the Gators have already landed a commitment from former James Madison tight end Lacota Dippre and has also scheduled visits with Georgia tight end Pearce Spurlin III and Georgia Tech tight end Luke Harpring.

Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.

A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.

Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.

The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:

immigration crackdowns
ICE and National Guard deployments
on-again-off-again tariffs
his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government

More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.

Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.

Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.

Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida

US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.

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