Controversial initiative to include golf, pickleball at Florida parks draws criticism, planned protests
FORT LAUDERDALE - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced plans to enhance state park facilities, sparking varied reactions and planned protests.
Most weekends the LeMaitre family packs up their van and heads to a state park for hiking, kayaking and unwinding.
"We homeschool so we're flexible," said mother Catalina LeMaitre.
LeMaitre will join dozens of other demonstrators Tuesday at Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach to protest the state's plan to expand facilities there and 8 other states.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection last week announced what it has dubbed a "Great Outdoors Initiative" aimed at expanding public access to state parks. The announcement included such things as adding campsites and cabins and increasing "the number of outdoor recreation opportunities available at Florida's state parks, including pickleball, disc golf, golf and paddling."
"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," the department said in a news release
There are changes planned for Honeymoon Island State Park in Pinellas County, Hillsborough River State Park in Hillsborough County, Oleta River State Park in Miami-Dade County, Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Broward County, Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County, Camp Helen State Park in Bay County and Topsail Hill Preserve and Grayton Beach State Park in Walton County.
"It was a complete surprise," said LeMaitre
Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell said Florida's state parks are award-winning because of their natural beauty and protecting "real Florida."
"Golf courses at treasures like Jonathan Dickinson and pickleball courts at Honeymoon Island would be travesties," Wraithmell said in an online post.
The Florida Springs Council described the proposal as "commodifying & developing our public lands."
Golf has been considered in the past at parks such as Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
In 2011, a bill would have allowed legendary golfer and golf course designer Jack Nicklaus to build courses in state parks.
The measure arose out of talks between Nicklaus and then-Gov. Rick Scott about promoting tourism. The idea was to create a Florida version of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama, which offers golf courses at 11 sites.
Then-Rep. Patrick Rooney, a West Palm Beach Republican who sponsored the bill, said at the time his intention was economic development, but he withdrew the measure as "Floridians spoke very clearly" about the proposal.
Rooney's proposal called for hiring Nicklaus to create a Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail "in an environmentally sensitive manner." The proposal also suggested accompanying hotels.
In its news release Tuesday, the Department of Environmental Protection said state parks attracted nearly 30 million visitors during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
According to the Florida Sports Foundation, the state has more than 1,100 golf courses, with out-of-state visitors playing one-third of the nearly 48 million annual rounds. Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing agency, put the number of public golf courses in the state at over 1,400.
The website Pickleheads lists 1,160 pickleball locations in Florida, the most of any state for the growing sport. Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando have the most courts.
The state also is buying land to create the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is planned to include nearly 18 million acres of habitat from the Everglades to the Panhandle. It already includes more than 6,000 acres of recreational trails.
On Monday, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement:
"Due to the overwhelming interest with the 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is looking for new venues to accommodate the public. We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate."
"Public input is vital to DEP decision-making. To gather feedback on your favorite state parks, we've launched a dedicated webpage for more suggestions."
"New meeting dates will be announced soon, with meetings expected the week of Sept. 2, 2024."