Latest news with #FloridaParks
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida state parks gain new protections after DeSantis signs ‘State Land Management' bill into law
The Brief Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 209, the "State Land Management" bill, into law on Thursday. It will give Florida's almost 200 state parks more protections that will help prevent development. The bill was the product of controversy last year, after they said a whistleblower brought attention to possible plans to allow development at several state parks. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Almost 200 parks across Florida will now have more protections. Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 209, the "State Land Management" bill, into law on Thursday. The Legislature approved the bill, which aims to prevent development in state parks, unanimously. PREVIOUS: State parks bill teed up in Florida Senate What they're saying "The idea of putting golf courses and mega-hotels in our state parks, as Floridians, we're just not going to stand for it," Rep. Lindsay Cross said. The new law will require public hearings for all updated conservation and non-conservation land management plans. "Just strengthening the policy in the bill that would require for there to be public facing processes," Rep. Anna Eskamani said. RELATED: State employee fired over leak of Florida park development plans The backstory State lawmakers said this bill was the product of controversy last year, after they said a whistleblower brought attention to possible plans to allow development at several state parks. The proposals included things like pickleball courts and a hotel. However, earlier this month, DeSantis was asked if he would sign the bill into law, to which he said yes. The bill received strong support from residents around the state and state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. "I do think the environment continues to be one of those topics that can build bridges," Eskamani said. "And oftentimes, it's not red versus blue. It's people versus corporations." The bill was also met with loud support from residents across the state. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Dig deeper State lawmakers say the new law also outlines things you can and cannot do on state park land. "Things like hiking, bird watching, really more passive recreation, things that doesn't require the creation of a pickleball court or a golf course that uses lots of fertilizer and water," Cross said. "Those really nature-based activities. And then, it outlines some of the that things that you can't do, such as golf courses or tennis or pickleball courts there. It also limits the type of lodging that we can have." What's next State leaders said this new legislation sends the message that this land isn't for sale. Some lawmakers said this is just a step in a long-term effort to protect the environment. The new law takes effect on July 1. The Source The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Florida governor signs protection bill, meaning no golf courses in state parks
Florida governor signs protection bill, meaning no golf courses in state parks Show Caption Hide Caption Does Florida Parks bill offers lesson in how politics should work From proposal to develop to protest to bill for protection, Florida Today's John A. Torres asks our panel if this is how local and state politics should work Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill protecting state parks from commercial development. The bill, passed unanimously by the legislature, restricts development like golf courses and luxury lodges in favor of activities like hiking. The legislation was introduced after public outcry against a previous plan to commercialize state parks. As he said he would, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure to protect Florida's 175 state parks from development such as golf courses, luxury lodges and pickleball and tennis courts. The news came from a message on a legislative website: "Approved by Governor on Thursday, May 22, 2025 4:43 PM." There was no public bill signing event and no immediate comment from his office. Regardless, the signing on May 22 is likely the final chapter in a saga that began last summer: DeSantis' Department of Environmental Protection announced a plan to commercialize Florida's 175 state parks with custom amenities at beloved natural icons like Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County, Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, and Topsail Hill Preserve in Walton County. Critics quickly likened the plan to "paving over paradise," and DeSantis himself shelved the Great Outdoors Initiative, saying it included "a lot of that stuff was just half-baked and was not ready for prime time." In a stunning rebuke to the DeSantis administration, two Stuart Republicans – Sen. Gayle Harrell and Rep. John Snyder – took the lead in carrying the legislation (HB 209). It was co-sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Bradley and Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, among many others – 48 in all from both parties, or almost a third of the Legislature. And the bill passed both chambers unanimously. The Harrell-Snyder legislation, named the State Parks Preservation Act, mandates that DEP focus park management on passive traditional recreational activities that leaves the land mostly undisturbed. And lawmakers define what those activities are, like hiking. HB-209 was co-sponsored by Representative John Snyder (R-Stuart), Senator Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart), and Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-District 91). The bill passed both legislative chambers unanimously and mandates public transparency through required hearings and digital access to updated land management plans —ensuring public oversight and protection of Florida's natural and historic resources. 'The passage of this bill ensures that our state parks are protected forever. This is democracy at work. The voices of the people have been heard,' Harrell said in a statement. Lawmakers also created a straitjacket of regulations to maintain DEP's focus on preservation by requiring the department to ask for public input to develop park management plans that must be updated every ten years. Any changes to those plans would require two public hearings while they are being developed and written. The new law was endorsed by Audubon Florida, a conservation group that helped create the first state park in 1916 (Royal Park, now part of the Everglades National Park). 'This may be one of the most monumental environmental laws Florida has ever passed,' said Rep. Gossett-Seidman. 'Our parks are not for sale—they're sacred public spaces filled with natural beauty that must be protected for future generations. The new law also renames the St. Marks River Preserve State Park in Leon and Jefferson counties to the "Ney Landrum State Park" in honor of the late director emeritus of Florida State Parks who passed away in 2017. Landrum served as state parks director 1970–89. (This story was updated to add new information.) James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@ and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
