Latest news with #StateParkPreservationAct
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida state parks now legally protected from commercial development
May 23 (UPI) -- State parks in Florida are now protected from commercial construction after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the State Park Preservation Act into law Thursday. The act, which will take effect in July, prevents developers from constructing hotels, golf courses or other commercial enterprises in any of Florida's 175 state parks. Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross, who also is an environmental scientist, posted to social media Friday that the act establishes "protections for all 175 state parks against commercial development," and also thanked "everyone who fought for this bill, and who stood up to preserve our home." Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Highland Beach, called the passage of the act a "bipartisan, bicameral legislative victory," on her X account Thursday, and then quoted "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss to close her post with "I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." The new law came after a backlash caused by a purported plan proposed by the state in 2024 and allegedly leaked by the Florida Wildlife Federation to allow commercial development at nine different state parks. All future developments are not completely banned but will instead need to be conservation-minded, and support nature-friendly activities such as camping, hiking and kayaking. The Florida Wildlife Federation posted a note of appreciation to its website Thursday, with thanks given to the Florida Senate and House "for their unanimous support of this legislation every step of the way," and it called the law "a massive win for wildlife, outdoor spaces, and future generations who will get to experience Florida's natural wonders just as they should be: wild and natural."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida's state parks are now protected from developments after Gov. DeSantis signs new law
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — After months of protests, the future of Florida's state parks has been decided. Gov. DeSantis signed a new law, unanimously passed by state lawmakers, preventing any projects on protected lands. The State Park Preservation Act will protect all 175 of the state parks by preventing developers from building golf courses, hotels or other commercial projects on state park land. The newly signed law comes after widespread outrage toward a proposed plan from the state last year to develop nine state parks. 'I don't think that they're going to stop at a single pickleball court, or one little trail, or one little glamping site. I think that once that door is opened, it's going to continue on until there's no more wild Florida left,' Gia Medina said. The bill does not ban all developments, but any future proposals will have to be conservation-based, and support activities like hiking, kayaking and camping. Lawmakers said they've heard the concerns over development loud and clear and insist preservation of the parks will be protected. 'What we have in our landscape is irreplaceable and once it's gone, we're never going to get it back,' Medina said. Now that the bill has been signed into law, it will take effect in July. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
UPI
23-05-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Florida state parks now legally protected from commercial development
Florida's new State Park Preservation Act will prevent developers from constructing hotels, golf courses or other commercial enterprises in any of Florida's 175 state parks. File Photo (2009) by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo May 23 (UPI) -- State parks in Florida are now protected from commercial construction after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the State Park Preservation Act into law Thursday. The act, which will take effect in July, prevents developers from constructing hotels, golf courses or other commercial enterprises in any of Florida's 175 state parks. Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross, who also is an environmental scientist, posted to social media Friday that the act establishes "protections for all 175 state parks against commercial development," and also thanked "everyone who fought for this bill, and who stood up to preserve our home." Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Highland Beach, called the passage of the act a "bipartisan, bicameral legislative victory," on her X account Thursday, and then quoted "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss to close her post with "I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues." The new law came after a backlash caused by a purported plan proposed by the state in 2024 and allegedly leaked by the Florida Wildlife Federation to allow commercial development at nine different state parks. All future developments are not completely banned but will instead need to be conservation-minded, and support nature-friendly activities such as camping, hiking and kayaking. The Florida Wildlife Federation posted a note of appreciation to its website Thursday, with thanks given to the Florida Senate and House "for their unanimous support of this legislation every step of the way," and it called the law "a massive win for wildlife, outdoor spaces, and future generations who will get to experience Florida's natural wonders just as they should be: wild and natural."
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
DeSantis signs bill banning development of golf courses, hotels at state parks
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday to prohibit the building of golf courses, hotels and other amenities on state parks, putting an end to a nearly yearlong controversy that united people from across the state and political spectrum in support of preserving public land. The Florida Senate website showed the bill, House Bill 209, called the 'State Park Preservation Act,' as having been signed just before 5 p.m. The governor's office did not immediately announce the signing, nor did his office respond to an email requesting comment. DeSantis had previously said he would sign the bill, which passed the Legislature unanimously. Still, his signature was momentous, in part because the bill directly outlawed an initiative his administration had pursued last year: to add amenities in nine parks, including golf in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, pickleball in Pinellas County's Honeymoon Island and a hotel near the rolling dunes of Anastasia State Park. The proposal was leaked by a concerned state employee, James Gaddis, who opposed the potential habitat loss and later lost his job for releasing the information. After the state's plans were first revealed by the Tampa Bay Times, Floridians protested at their local parks, and politicians — even those usually counted among DeSantis' allies — quickly condemned the idea. DeSantis shelved the proposal in August amid the backlash. Sen. Gayle Harrell, a Republican from Stuart who sponsored the legislation, said her day was made Thursday afternoon when her legislative aide called her with the news. 'I'm just ecstatic. Without the support of the people of Florida, this would not have happened,' Harrell told the Times. 'The people stood up and said, 'Our parks are precious and they should be preserved.' They are the ones who won this battle.' Eric Draper, the former director of Florida state parks under DeSantis who has since criticized the plan to build on state parks, underscored the importance of transparency. Last year, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection gave Floridians less than a week's time to review the park development plans before a series of simultaneous meetings were to be held across the state. The law now requires the public be given 30 days' notice. 'The best way to protect our state parks is to involve park users in park plans,' Draper said in a text. 'This good law puts an end to secret proposals to turn wildlife habitat into hotels and golf courses. It says: 'Hands off our lands.'' Even with an extraordinary amount of public support, passing the bill wasn't easy. It stalled for weeks in the Senate, then withstood an unsuccessful amendment filed by a prominent Republican that would have weakened its protections. Its passage came down to the wire, with rumors flying that the bill could be gutted in the final days of the legislative session. Now it will be law. Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, a Republican from Highland Beach and a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, said the measure will prove to be 'one of the most historical pieces of legislation' passed to protect Florida's beloved parks. 'It's a thrill and a joy for every resident, every bird, gator, deer and every living critter in Florida,' she said. But as environmentalists and lawmakers celebrated Thursday, they were still reeling over another conservation fight that has further undermined the public's trust that protected land is protected for good. Last week, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection unveiled a proposal to trade away more than 600 acres of conserved land in the Guana River Wildlife Management Area in exchange for a patchwork of parcels across the state. Similar to the parks scandal, there was a mysterious entity at the center of the swap, known only as 'The Upland LLC.' After five days of growing public outcry in northeast Florida, plus intervention from the chief of staff to President Donald Trump, the company announced it was withdrawing the proposal. The state has repeatedly declined to reveal the identity of the person or entity behind it, both to reporters and at least one Republican state representative. That contentious land swap also came on the heels of another scrutinized deal, first revealed by the Times. That trade would have granted more than 300 acres of state forest in Hernando County to Cabot Citrus Farms, a luxury golf developer. A top staffer in DeSantis' office helped add that proposal to an agenda of the state Cabinet at the last minute, records showed. Earlier this month, though, the state environmental agency revealed that that deal, too, had died after the golf developer walked away. Gossett-Seidman said the Guana land swap proposal showed there's more work needed to bolster state laws around public land conservation. She said she's going to prioritize that issue during next year's legislative session to 'shut down all the end-arounds' used to develop protected areas. 'We don't want to lose that little bit of Old Florida that we have left.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DeSantis signs bill protecting Florida's state parks into law
Video: Floridians protest leaked plans to develop pickleball courts at state parks. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the State Park Preservation Act into law Thursday, marking a victory for those who adamantly spoke against leaked plans to build on some of the state's natural lands last summer. The bipartisan legislation, which will take effect July 1, enacts safeguards to prevent developers from building things like golf courses, hotels and pickleball courts within Florida's 175 state parks. Tampa group says there are no graves on controversial property they want to sell The bill doesn't ban all types of development, but going forward, lawmakers said Florida's state parks will be preserved exclusively for conservation-based projects supporting activities such as hiking, kayaking, camping and birdwatching. 'This may be one of the most monumental environmental laws Florida has ever passed,' said Rep. Gossett-Seidman, who co-sponsored the bill. 'Our parks are not for sale — they're sacred public spaces filled with natural beauty that must be protected for future generations.' The legislation was largely a response to massive protests that were organized last summer after outraged Floridians learned of plans to pave parts of their favorite state parks for pickleball courts and hotels. Gov. Ron DeSantis distanced himself from the proposals following the backlash, saying he never approved the plans. The Florida Department of Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) then withdrew the proposed amendments at the governor's request. However, Senator Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart), another sponsor of the State Park Preservation Act, said he wanted to make sure something like that couldn't ever happen again. 'The passage of this bill ensures that our state parks are protected forever,' Harrell said. 'This is democracy at work. The voices of the people have been heard.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
