Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has temporarily postponed public hearings on plans to build everything from lodges to golf courses on several state parks.
More than 100 people gathered at the entrance to Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday for a third day of protests over plans for pickleball courts there.
The protesters chanted, “Keep Florida Wild,” waved signs and vowed to keep the heat on DeSantis.
Michelle Birnbaum of Dunedin has visited Honeymoon Island for years. She called the state's most-visited park her "front yard."
Daylina Miller
/
WUSF
A few dozen protested at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 are unhappy with Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
"Part of being a steward of a wonderful park is to preserve its natural value," Birnbaum said. "Once you place pickleball courts in this park, what's next?"
Pickleball courts and a disc golf course were also proposed for Hillsborough River State Park.
Kira Barrera, with Suncoast Sierra Club, says people should contact the governor's office to kill the plans.
“Development doesn't belong in our state parks. Our parks were created to protect these special rare resources,” Barrera said. “We love outdoor recreation, but there's a place for that. These areas were set aside for future generations and for natural resources.”
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Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Daylina Miller / WUSF
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Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Daylina Miller / WUSF
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Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Daylina Miller / WUSF
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Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Daylina Miller / WUSF
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Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Daylina Miller / WUSF
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Environmentalists, law makers, and nature lovers gathered at Honeymoon Island State Park on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2024 to protest Gov. Ron DeSantis' "Great Outdoors Initiative", a plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels.
Daylina Miller / WUSF
Similar protests took place Tuesday at three other parks and at the state DEP headquarters in Tallahassee.
“The reason all this came about was to make a profit from our state parks,” said Jeff Gaw, a City Council member in Dunedin, which is connected by a causeway to Honeymoon Island. “It's just misguided.”
A private group rescinded its plans to build a golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in South Florida after a public outcry.
“It's just contrary to what our parks are about,” said Democratic state Rep. Lindsey Cross prior to the Honeymoon Island rally. "It's a place to slow down, to reconnect with nature."
Florida boasts 175 state parks that cover some 800,000 acres (320,000 hectares) in all regions of the state. Some are recognized as have some of the nation's best beaches and have resisted past efforts to develop them.
“We must remain vigilant and we will not stop,” said Kim Begay, vice president and conservation advocate at the Clearwater Audubon Society.
The state postponed public hearings this week after a groundswell of interest in the plans. They have not yet been rescheduled.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Daylina Miller
/
WUSF
A protester at Honeymoon Island State Park Tuesday was one of dozens gathered there Tuesday to bring attention to Gov. DeSantis' plan to redevelop state parks.
