Florida House votes to stop pickleball courts, hotels from being built in state parks
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A bill aiming to protect Florida's state parks from overdevelopment was unanimously passed Wednesday by the state House.
The measure received wide support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in a 113-0 vote, according to a release from Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman's office.
Egmont Key State Park reopens after months of recovery from hurricanes
Gossett-Seidman was among the sponsors who helped craft House Bill 209 in response to overwhelming public outcry last summer against leaked plans to develop pickleball courts, golf courses, and luxury lodges at some of the state's most visited marks.
The news sparked protests across the state, with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) later withdrawing the proposals at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Lawmakers hope House Bill 209 will prevent anything of the sort from happening again by placing 'commonsense' limits on certain commercial projects that could potentially threaten native wildlife and ecosystems.
The mission is also a personal one for Gossett-Seidman, a Republican who represents District 19. She fondly recalled childhood memories of visiting Jonathan Dickinson State Park, one of the nine parks that was potentially under threat of overdevelopment.
'With my family years ago, we had to throw marshmallows to a large gator always lingering near the canoe livery in order to pass,' Gossett-Seidman said. 'His name was Marshmallow, though this activity would be deemed unlawful now.'
Gossett-Seidman and co-sponsor Representatives John Snyder worked with state agencies and environmental organizations to guide the legislation. Now it will go to the Senate, where a similar bill has cleared two committees so far.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The Hill
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Yahoo
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Who is ahead in the NJ governor race on primary election day?
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Sweeney has centered his gubernatorial campaign on reforming New Jersey's budget process and addressing the state's housing challenges. With 20 years of public office experience, including more than a decade as Senate president, Sweeney is banking on his experience and commitment to tackling systemic issues. Ciattarelli, a Somerville native and business founder, is making another run for New Jersey governor. This time, he has the backing of President Trump. Ciattarelli nearly unseated Murphy back in 2021 and finished second in the 2017 GOP primary. This time, he says he is focused on tackling New Jersey's affordability crisis, citing rising taxes, tolls, and fees. Spadea is an entrepreneur and host of the Bill Spadea Show on NJ101.5 FM. Spadea says he's focused on New Jersey's budget and ending the illegal immigration crisis, which he claims costs taxpayers too much. Bramnick says he wants to create a government efficiency panel with private residents and business leaders to identify waste and areas for improvement. He's been in the State Senate since 2022 and was an Assemblyman for nearly two decades prior from 2003-2021. Kranjac is the former mayor of Englewood Cliffs, serving from 2016 to 2024. He calls himself a political outsider determined to change Trenton. Since leaving office, he has continued as a corporate attorney and venture capitalist. Barbera is a contractor and real estate developer from Burlington County. A Marlton native, Barbera's career includes work as a general contractor, insurance claim mitigator, freight carrier, and owner-operator of a CDL A flatbed and commercial snow service operation. By the numbers In the 2024 presidential election in New Jersey, the first results the AP reported came from Hudson County at 8:01 p.m. ET, one minute after polls closed. Vote tabulation ended for the night at 4:21 a.m. ET in Burlington County with about 95% of votes counted.
