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.
“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.
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