URGENT: Information leaked from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) suggests that public meetings announced for next Tuesday will fast-track development plans for golf courses, hotels, pickleball courts, and more on top of vulnerable habitat in nine state parks across Florida. This provides additional color to major state park developments foreshadowed in a press release yesterday crediting the Governor's leadership.

These places and their wildlife need your voice to stop these threats.

What You Need to Know

State parks have always balanced nature-based recreation with resource protection, and Florida’s is the only state park system in the country to win the gold medal for state parks FOUR TIMES. State parks protect Florida's most scenic landscapes, safeguarding resources not only for wildlife, but also for water quality, fire protection, flood control, drinking water supply, and more. Often they protect some of the last, best remaining examples of rare habitats and views left in our rapidly urbanizing state. Many of these parks are already operating at peak visitation within  communities that have ample lodging, golf courses, and pickleball courts. 

Florida has no shortage of places to swing a golf club, sample the continental breakfast, or try your hand at pickleball—but increasingly rare are the opportunities to spot the deep blue feathers of a Florida Scrub-Jay, witness the miracle of neotropical bird migration, or experience Florida in all its natural beauty.

What You Can Do

Write to DEP and Governor DeSantis and tell them that you do not support these changes to our state parks. Click here.

Join Audubon at these public meetings on August 27  to voice your opposition. The haste and lack of transparency with which these meetings are being held—with only a week’s notice, in person only, and scheduled during the workday when many Floridians will be unable to participate, give the appearance of the state trying to minimize public input and opposition. Email flconservation@audubon.org to let us know which meeting you are planning to attend!

The Proposed Changes We Must Stop

While plans for these proposals are rumored to already be well developed, DEP has not yet responded to requests to make them public. Nevertheless, verbal reports characterize the proposals as including:

Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Martin County):
- An 18-hole and 9-hole golf course in the Atlantic Ridge scrub community east of the Brightline rail track, encompassing roughly 550 acres
- An 18-hole golf course in the Atlantic Ridge scrub west of the Brightline rail track, encompassing roughly 500 acres

Anastasia State Park (St. Johns County):
- A park lodge with up to 350 rooms in the maritime hammock
- A disc golf course in the maritime hammock
- Pickleball courts in the maritime hammock

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park (Walton County):
- A park lodge with up to 350 rooms
- A disc golf course in the scrubby flatwoods south of the cabin area
- Pickleball courts

Camp Helen State Park (Bay County):
- New cabins and glamping 

Grayton Beach State Park (Walton County):
- A new restroom at the beach access area near the cabins
- 10 new cabins
- A disc golf course
- Pickleball courts

Hillsborough River State Park (Hillsborough County): 
- A disc golf course
- Pickleball courts

Honeymoon Island State Park (Pinellas County): 
- Pickleball courts

Dr. Von Mizell – Eula Johnson State Park (Broward County): 
- Pickleball courts

Oleta River State Park (Miami-Dade County):
- Disc golf course
- Pickleball courts