By Craig Pittman
When Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Caddyshack, was majoring in history at Yale, I bet he heard someone quote that famous saying by philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Yet our Ivy League-educated chief executive failed to learn from a couple of the worst mistakes of former Gov. Rick Scott’s b-b-bumpy eight years in office. Now he’s trying to repeat them both — and to rush these idiotic errors through before too many people find out and object.
As I write this, I am looking at a bunch of internal documents from the Florida Department of Environmental Playtime — er, I mean “Protection.” These documents describe proposed changes to nine of our award-winning state parks which, I am told, have been ordered to be implemented by the governor’s office.
The worst one talks of building not one, not two, but THREE golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. There are plans at the other parks for big motels and pickleball courts and disc golf courses, all of which run completely counter to what our state parks are all about.
At Jonathan Dickinson, “rare environments such as coastal sand hills, upland lakes, and scrub forests as well as the pristine Loxahatchee River make this park a unique spot to explore on land or by water,’ the park’s website says.
I should also point out that the park includes the home of Trapper Nelson, the legendary Wild Man of the Loxahatchee. If Trapper Nelson were around today, he’d track down the blockheads who came up with this ridiculous plan and tan their hides with a canoe paddle.
People don’t go to Florida state parks to play golf. They’re not venturing into an inspiring natural treasure to spend time in a place that’s maintained with sprinklers, mowers, fertilizer, and pesticides (which are likely to pollute the Loxahatchee).
They go to the parks to get away from artificial settings like that. They go to see what’s left of the real Florida. That’s the park system’s motto: “Experience the Real Florida!”
I sent the Dickinson document to Clay Henderson, who literally wrote the book on Florida’s protected places (“Forces of Nature,” buy four copies and give three to your friends).
“There are 28 golf courses in Martin County,” he told me. “Why would we need to carve up a beautiful and protected natural area for another golf course? It goes against every management principle that has made the Florida State Park system the best in the country.”
Watch the birdies
Florida’s state parks are one of the glories of this place we call home. Our 175 parks span nearly 800,000 acres where you can hike, fish, swim, bike, canoe, kayak, watch wildlife, or simply gaze in open-mouthed awe at your surroundings.
The Florida park system has won national awards four times. That’s three more than any other state.
There’s a procedure for making changes to the parks. The first step is to amend the park’s unit management plan. The internal DEP documents I’m looking at are labeled “Unit Management Plan Amendments” for each park. Here’s what it says for Jonathan Dickinson:
“This concept proposes development of an 18-hole golf course and a separate 9-hole golf course between the Brightline intercity rail and U.S. Highway 1 transportation corridors and the development of a second 18-hole golf course in the northeastern portion of the park on the westside of the Brightline rail corridor. The concept includes a supporting clubhouse and ancillary facilities.”
Building these unnatural additions to the park, it says, would require “the relocation and re-development of existing park support facilities including staff residences, a training center, and the DRP District 5 office complex.”
They’d also have to move the Hobe Mountain observation tower, the document says.
The tower allows park visitors to hike to the top of an ancient sand dune that stands 86 feet above sea level. There’s a boardwalk leading up to the tower, which rises an additional 27 feet from the dune.
But suuuure, we could just move that darn tower any old place!
I called Eric Draper, who was director of the Florida Park Service from 2017 to 2021. When I told him what was in the works, he was stunned.
“The observation tower at Jonathan Dickinson State Park is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Draper said. “It’s the ideal place to see the whole park.”
Dickinson’s a delight for avid birders, he told me, because it’s the southernmost spot to find the rare Florida scrub jay and it’s also where the brown-headed nuthatch was reintroduced into the wild.
But Duffer DeSantis prefers a different kind of birdie.
Lodging a complaint
The documents call for drastic changes at other beloved parks.
One proposes building a 350-room lodge at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach. Another calls for a 350-room lodge at Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine.
“Lodge” is a code word for “cheesy motel with rustic décor.”
Topsail is one of the most beautiful beach parks I’ve ever seen. It’s named for its soaring dunes. They’re so tall that, from offshore, they look like the sails from a ship.
“Those same white quartz dunes are responsible for a rare coastal ecosystem of freshwater dune lakes that teem with aquatic wildlife,” the park’s website says. “Walkers will pass through old-growth pine forests, sandy scrubland, dunes, and wetlands, where they may see some of the 13 imperiled species that find refuge here.”
Building a 350-room motel in Topsail Hill would be like using a Sharpie to “improve” the “Mona Lisa.” It’s an insult to the very idea of that park.
Like a lot of special places in Florida, it just barely escaped being torn up by developers. They were promising a project called “Emerald City,” just like Dorothy’s destination, but with luxurious homes, hotels, golf courses, an amusement park, and an airport.
Fortunately for the real Florida, these plans were backed by a shaky pair of savings-and-loans. In 1991, more than a dozen indictments for fraud terminated the trip to Emerald City, and the state wound up with the land.
As for Anastasia, it has “more than 1,600 acres of unspoiled beaches, tidal marshes, maritime hammocks, and ancient sand dunes,” according to the park website. “Abundant wading birds hunt for food along Salt Run, including colorful roseate spoonbills. Osprey and eagles rule the skies. … As an extra bonus, the park’s 139 campsites are just a short stroll from the beach.”
Considering all those campsites, why build 350 motel rooms in the maritime hammocks? Perhaps the better question is: Why does DeSantis want to do ANY of this destructive stuff? I’d like to lodge a complaint with him about these two lodges.
But wait, there’s more!
The most popular park
One of the documents is for Honeymoon Island State Park near Dunedin.
In the 1960s, a developer envisioned turning the island into a dredge-and fill subdivision with housing for 16,000. Fortunately, his plans ran into practical difficulties, his permit expired, and, in 1974, Florida began buying up the property. The park opened in 1981.
There’s no camping there. When the park closes at sunset, it empties out. Yet people flock to this park during daylight, drawn by its breathtaking beauty and by the swimming, fishing, hiking, paddling, and bird-watching opportunities.
Despite (or because of) the fact that it’s closed to campers, Honeymoon Island is the most popular park in the entire system, drawing more than 1 million people a year. Yet the DEP document calls for adding four pickleball courts to Honeymoon Island.
Pickleball! I know the sport is popular now, but c’mon. Nobody’s going to Honeymoon Island to play pickleball.
It’s not like you need MORE incentives to attract visitors there, much less one that would interfere with efforts to maintain the park’s ecological character.
Before proposing this dimwitted idea, DeSantis (who’s from Dunedin) should have asked his predecessor what happened when he tried to make alterations to Honeymoon Island and other parks.
Like Scott’s more popular doppelganger, Lord Voldemort, it turned really ugly.
Déjà vu all over again
The first time I met Rick Scott was shortly after he became governor in 2011. His DEP had proposed a major change in Honeymoon Island. Not only would they allow camping there, they’d make spaces for recreational vehicles, so I wanted to ask him about that.
Letting in RVs would mean adding new roads, restrooms, bathhouses, playgrounds, electric connections, grills, and other amenities that would take away some of the natural areas. There were similar plans for parks at Wakulla Springs, DeLeon Springs, and Fanning Springs.
“The reason we have parks is so people will use them,” Scott told me, sounding as if he’d never been to one (I suspect he hadn’t).
The DEP held a public hearing in Dunedin. Roughly 1,000 people showed up, and 999 were fiercely opposed. Someone from the Florida Native Plant Society vowed to lie in front of the bulldozers, and there was talk of forming a human chain to block any RVs.
Scott backed down. Honeymoon Island was saved, thanks to people who regarded Honeymoon Island as THEIR park and Scott’s efforts to change it as a personal affront.
But Scott wasn’t done messing with the parks. At his direction, two legislators introduced bills that would require the DEP to hire Jack Nicklaus — a Scott supporter — to build golf courses in state parks in every region of the state, thus creating a Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail.
The House version specifically named one park to get a Nicklaus course: Jonathan Dickinson. Both bills said the courses “may include a hotel,” which would be eligible for liquor licenses, and they’d be exempt from any city or county regulations.
Nicklaus’ lobbyist told me the Golden Bear himself came up with this dopey idea during a chat with Scott about boosting Florida tourism. He promised to waive his usual $2.5 million design fee for the Dickinson course and settle for just $625,000 per course for the other four. Such a deal for the taxpayers!
Scott endorsed the plan. No one else did. Newspaper columnists derided it as “the worst idea ever.” Environmental groups howled in outrage. Even Arnold Palmer mocked the knuckleheaded Nicklaus Trail.
Just one week after the bills were introduced, the shell-shocked legislators withdrew them. Everyone assumed that was the last we’d hear of such foolishness.
Then word got out over the weekend that, despite what happened last time, DeSantis wants to act like Steely Dan and do it again. One of the people spreading the dire news was Dana Bryan, now retired, who spent 30 years in the Florida Park Service, most of it as chief biologist.
“This is being kept secret,” he told me. “Not even the managers of the parks involved knew about it.”
When Sarah Gledhill of the Florida Wildlife Federation heard the news, she told me she asked, “Is this April Fool’s Day?” And Julie Wraithmell of Audubon Florida told me her first thought was, “Really? Again? Floridians were horrified when this came up last time.”
Beyond the environmental consequences, Grant Gelhardt of the Florida Sierra Club saw economic concerns too: “Why should the state go into competition with private enterprise?”
All of them have alerted their members to be ready to fight this. There isn’t much time.
“I think the governor’s office and the DEP got their hands caught in the cookie jar and the only way they think they can get any traction is to rush it through,” Wraithmell said.
Rush to judgment
A number of reporters (I was one) contacted the DEP on Monday to ask some variation of, “What the Florida are y’all thinking?”
In response, the DEP issued a “put on a happy face” press release that promised wrecking these parks “will work to expand public access, increase outdoor activities, and provide new lodging options.”
The DEP is calling this their “Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access, Recreation, and Lodging at Florida State Parks.” That’s too much of a mouthful to make a good acronym. Instead, I’m calling it CRAP, which stands for “Creative Ruination of A lot of Parks.”
The press release is remarkably vague. One crucial point it fails to mention: There will be ONE date for nearly simultaneous, in-person public meetings on all nine of these park proposals. The big day is next Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 3 to 4 p.m., which means there’s little time to organize opposition.
“They are scrambling to rationalize these proposed changes,” Draper told me.
I hear the DEP has been ordered to play pre-recorded presentations at each of the meetings, then record the public feedback without answering questions, which will definitely soothe all the upset people who are sure to show up demanding answers.
DeSantis’ uncommunicative communications director, Bryan Griffin, wouldn’t answer reporters’ questions about this weirdly rushed process, but on X (formerly Twitter) he called it “an exciting new initiative.”
I bet everyone who objects to this “exciting new initiative” has already begun bombarding DeSantis and his DEP with calls, letters, and emails telling them not to Rick (Scott) Roll our precious parks.
If DeSantis wants to play golf, he should stick to that golf simulator he was given by a big developer. Let us fans of the real Florida continue to enjoy it in its natural state. Otherwise, he better look out for a visit from the ghost of Trapper Nelson.
Craig Pittman is a native Floridian. In 30 years at the Tampa Bay Times, he won numerous state and national awards for his environmental reporting. He is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller Oh, Florida! How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country, which won a gold medal from the Florida Book Awards. His latest, published in 2021, is The State You’re In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and Other Wildlife. In 2020 the Florida Heritage Book Festival named him a Florida Literary Legend. Craig is co-host of the “Welcome to Florida” podcast. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife and children.
Jackson says
Florida Governor is a DISGRACE!
Melly says
Because Ron DeSantis’ main constituency is REAL ESTATE DEVELOPERS, LAND GRABBERS AND VACATION RENTAL TYCOONS.
Sorry to shout. But this right here is why 2 bedroom duplexes cost 1800.00 a month to rent on the mainland.
leila says
Have you bothered to check out the rest of this country? Bidenomics did that, not DeSantis. 40,000 new residents decided they didn’t care for living up East anymore. That is what drove the housing market up.
Jeff says
No. Corporate conglomerates and hedge funds drove up housing prices. Do a little research before you babble your Republican/MAGA talking points.
JW says
I think DeSantis wants to outdo Trump! Maybe he will leave it to Trump to run the courses (not the parks) at a a profit you have never seen before!
Political Manipulation !
Joe D says
Are they ABSOLUTELY CRAZY?!?
One of the reasons I bought my retirement place in Flagler Beach, was the unspoiled State (and National) Parks is the recreation. Unspoiled NATURAL resources (GOLF COURSES/PICKLE BALL/ 350 room LODGES are not NATURAL)!!!
There are plenty of tourist areas nearby …these areas were set aside to remain Nature Preserves…OMG!
JimboXYZ says
That happened here in Palm Coast to some extent at Royal Palms Parkway & Belle Terre. Tennis Center expansion for pickleball & new residential instead of golf & hotel. That was called a 2050 Vision by the last mayor.
leila says
That facility is beautiful and PACKED. It was requested by the residents. If you wanted no amenities, why didn’t you buy a double wide in the country?
Brian says
I sent DuhSatan an email. I doubt he will see it. And my “vote” will go unheard. Bastard.
Libby says
One big huge ginormous HELL NO! This is a horrible idea. If you love FL and the environment (our one and only planet) then these lands must be preserved and protected. Just another horrible idea from a self-centered, bought-and-paid-for governor that doesn’t really believe in freedom. He talks a big game but his version of freedom is allowing him to do whatever the hell he wants while he attacks our wallets (letting insurance companies run amok), our land (this bogus proposal), our books (police your own children not mine), our kids (if my kid is gay or trans mind your own damn business), and women’s bodies (it is literally none of your damn business what kind of medical care a woman needs). I’m over his BS policies. They serve only him and his cronies not the actual citizens of FL.
KCyan says
desantis will be following derfuhrrrtrump to irrelevant land very soon after Madam President Harris is elected.
Jane Gentile Youd says
Thank goodness we have Adam Morley, who is a Board Member /Executive
member of the Florida Wildlife Federation who is working t i r e l e s s l y with sane people all over our state to stop this attempted theft and destruction of GOD’s land he gave to the wildlife, birds, marine life, trees, vegetation, lots of oxygen and to US – not to Dumbsantis and his corrupt pals. There was a citizen demonstration this morning in St, Augustine to save one of the many parks on the Governor’s ‘hit list to take away from WE THE PEOPLE. Jonathan Dickenson Park , one that he can’t wait to get his slimy paws on, in Martin County is a paradise to behold.
I am a Republican very grateful to Adam Morley and pray he gets elected to State House so that he can finally get a a real paycheck for the hard work he has been doing – for years – . THANK YOU ADAM. I have signed the petition you sent and glad to see this is all over the media – also because of your passionate efforts. They can stuff their polluting golf courses where the sun don’t shine – not on OUR land, not on land that belongs to all of God;’s creatures who wish to enjoy it,
Kat says
I was one of what I estimated to be several hundred people protesting in front of Anastasia State Park today. Desantis has unleashed the fury of hundreds of thousands of Floridians. Please correct me if I am wrong but it is my understanding that the Tuesday meetings have been postponed as several hundred thousand people contacted elected officials to express their displeasure and they know that the conference rooms they booked will never hold even a tiny fraction of who will turn out.
Please don’t forget that locally, we have a hometown champion for our park systems running to be OUR representative to the state house. Adam Morley was there today in person and also has been active on social media organizing local responses regarding Anastasia State Park.
Thank you for covering this and please keep us updated. We will turn out!
Jane Gentile Youd says
Thank you for attending this morning ( I gave all my good solid wood posts from my campaign signs to Adam with love)….
Backslapping Commission says
One would think that DeathSantis would not revisit this, he is
one little brown coat evil thing isn’t he as he messes with
Mother Nature, we will be campaigning for Adam Morley!
joy Massie McGrew says
governor is selling Florida’s SOUL!!!!!!
Call, email, write, GO to any meetings available. call all commissioners, mayors, environmentalist and rebell.
SAVE OUR WILDLIFE AND LAND!!!!!
I am ashamed of ANYONE who would even consider this closed door move.
If you LOVE Florida, YOU OWE IT TO FLORIDA TO SPEAK UP–TAKE ACTION!!!
NJ says
We must UNITE to STOP DeSantis’s CRAZY Plans to DESTROY many of Florida’s Beautiful State Parks!! Remember, DeSantis Vetoed Bills for Bunnell and Palm Coast Waste Water Plants while signing a bill for Two Bridges over the RR tracks for STUPID Westward EXPANSION of Palm Coast! DeSantis is Showing his “RINO CORRUPTION IDEAS” by following “ORDERS” from his Puppet Masters ( Carpetbagger Developers)! WAKE UP Conservative Republicans and STOP the DeSantis “RAPE” of Florida’s Beautiful State Parks!
Atwp says
People continue to vote Republicans. See what we are getting.
Brian says
Statistically, the argument to oppose the development of these areas is worth looking into. If State parks brought in enough revenue to cover the costs of maintaining them, it would make sense to keep them as they are.
The fact is, that attendance in State parks is lower than it has been in decades. Adding Disc Golf courses, (far less environmentally detrimental) would increase park fees and bring new outdoor opportunities to those who are not eco/environmental minded.
The number of tourists coming to bird watch, is statistically irrelevant. Getting kids out of their bedrooms and off their phones to become outdoor-active , requires options that may seem on the surface, to go against eco-logic, but would in fact, increase attendance in these great outdoor spaces. Why can’t we have both eco friendly parks and eco-sports opportunities? Young adults and kids are not rushing out to bird watch these days.
Social warriors will cry, but at the end of the day, every decision is rooted in whether it makes good economic sense.
Left the Chat says
Bad take. Half-baked.
Laurel says
I so wish DeSantis’ term was over with, he disgusts me. He needs to go. I don’t think he has all his marbles.
I have spent a lot of time in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, canoeing, hiking, camping and horseback riding. It is absolutely beautiful. It has scrub land (with bay leaves), the Loxahatchee River, history, scout camping, private camping, lakes, forests and so much more! I used to be a member of the Florida Trail Association, and we would meet and camp there. Just spectacular! Went there many times as a kid, too.
What DeSantis is proposing is completely without conscience, and not giving a damn about what the people want. That’s why his people are being sneaky. These politicians are hollow. Without heart. Without caring. All they seem to know is what is in it for them, and not really understanding what should be in it for all of us. Just patting each other, and their developer friends, on the backs at our expense. The only green they understand is paper.
Pickleball courts. Geez. Really? Not everyone plays golf, and there are plenty of both private and public golf courses already available.
So much of South Florida is so over developed, that natural Florida is being destroyed, and natural areas are harder and harder to get to. If you are not familiar with Jonathan Dickinson State Park, you are familiar with Anastasia State Park. You know its beauty, and its space to breath and enjoy nature. That beauty is also on the Emerald Coast, the Panhandle, with huge, white sand dunes and wonderful nature. It’s too bad for DeSantis that he has the inability to enjoy this state, and its natural, peaceful splendor, but he needs to leave it to the people. We cannot help his deficiencies.
So here is the Project 2025 mentality: Trump stated voting “will be fixed” and we “won’t have to vote anymore.” DeSantis fires people who were voted in by their constituents. DeSantis appoints people into positions, when the constituents should be voting for the people they want. DeSantis wants to give away our beautiful, award winning parks to his wealthy friends and they won’t have to pay for maintenance or property taxes, and your input not really wanted. Just take our money for their development, and we’ll pay for the rest while they pocket the profits. Consider this “Project” mentality when you vote this November. Are you okay with losing your rights to the self involved? Where you won’t vote, all will be appointed, or just done without citizen consent?
Want a “Free Florida”? Free us from these selfish politicians who work only for their friends and themselves, and not us.
I’ve already started writing our representatives. I suggest you do too.
Tony Mac says
Well, this will certainly bring down the cost of home insurance. Way to go Governor. I’m certain now that hundreds of thousands of the geezers here in Flagler County will support this. They really don’t care if you expanded their Medicare or Medicaid, or brought down the cost of insurance or built or repaired the roads or provided lunches for children using Federal grant money. You da BOMB!!! BTW– What time is the best tee time?
Doug says
The one question that hasn’t been asked is what hotel or hospitality corporation will be building or running these different operations at the state parks? Who benefits? All politicians in both parties are beholden to their major donors who usually expect payback at some point. The losers are the people of Florida and all the wildlife that would be displaced.
me says
WHY????????????????????????????????????????????? Florida has a governor who does everything in his power to deserve this state.
Mike says
Geekerz, what happened to the Republican party I thought I used to understand what they stood for. Less government I thought? Seems folks more upset about building golf courses than the politicians controlling what females can do with their health. Banning books? Diverting money from public schools. Mixing religion into public policy. I have NPA and it baffles me what’s happened to Republican beliefs.
Mike says
28% voter turnout in a community of 120,000, where only 98,000 are registered to vote. How many here didn’t bother to vote?
Mel says
What did Floridians expect when they continuously voted for these Republican politicians who only care about getting their palms greased by big businesses? Obviously DeSantis and his ilk don’t care about the natural beauty of Florida or anything that makes our state special and unique, not when there is money to be made by his cronies. For the record NONE of the hotels currently in St. Augustine have 350 rooms – this would be the largest hotel in the entire city if this thing passes.
Samuel says
Hope DeSantis reads these posts to see how much he is very much hated in the state he attempts to be a Governor off and does a poor job at it. Bet if the election was about him today, he would lose with flying colors.
Jack Howell says
I can’t believe the gall of this dirtbag Governor. I would pray that the Florida Republican Party gets rid of this anal opening before he destroys the quality of life for us Floridians.
Ha you voted for a clown says
Those wealthy donors gave him campaign money so have to take take of them who cares about the people of Florida this is for profit similar to drilling oil. You get to loose more natural spaces but will help the companies out which are the “people “that really matter.