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DeSantis: DEP to step back on ‘half-baked’ parks plan
Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday addressed the controversy over the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s proposal to put pickleball courts, golf courses and other amenities inside the boundaries of state parks.
DeSantis denied any involvement in the plan. “This is something that leaked,” he told reporters during a media event in Polk County. “It was not approved by me. I never saw that.”
Pinellas County’s Honeymoon Island is one of nine state parks on the FDEP proposal list.
The news resulted in massive public backlash all over the state, as well as bipartisan condemnation from Florida lawmakers.
FDEP had originally scheduled public meetings, in each of the affected areas. Once the firestorm of protest erupted, the organization said the meetings would be moved to “the week of Sept. 2.”
DeSantis seemed to suggest even that date was off the table, saying that DEP administrators would be “going back to the drawing board.”
“They’re not doing anything this year,” he added. “They’re going to go back and basically listen to folks. A lot of that stuff was just half-baked, and it was not ready for prime-time … and it was intentionally leaked out to a left-wing group to try to create a narrative.”
The governor then touted his record on conserving millions of acres of wild Florida, including the creation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
He was speaking at the Polk County Sherrif’s Office, at an event to celebrate Florida’s lowest crime rate in decades.
After he and others spoke, reporters peppered DeSantis with questions about the parks debacle.
“Are you going to do some more oversight on that office,” one asked, “to find out how these plans are happening?”
Replied DeSantis: “It’s my understanding that people have requested some improvements. Some of the campsites. Look, as governor I’m not refereeing how big this campsite is or that.
“But this was done intentionally and given to a left-wing group to try to create a narrative that somehow the state parks are going to become a big parking lot, or something like that. That’s obviously a phony narrative, and was never true to begin with.”
John Avery
August 29, 2024at2:03 am
At least DeSantis admits that he doesn’t know anything about his very own Department of Environmental Protection.
Steve D
August 28, 2024at4:37 pm
Has anyone else noticed that commenters on this site don’t express opinions. Rather, they think that they know everything about everything. It’s kinda amusing.
Lauren Lopez
August 28, 2024at3:58 pm
A “left wing” group. Honestly, grow up DeSantis. Even your Republican politicians in Tally were aghast at this half brained idea. It is not LEFT WING to want to preserve our Parks and our Nature preserves. There isn’t much Nature left to share with our families and fellow citizens. Golf courses. Good grief. What a habitual liar.
David S Goodwin
August 28, 2024at3:28 pm
So DeSantis claims he knew nothing about the planning going on for the state parl system. If there are any investigative reporters left, please see what you can find out about the genesis of this project.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
August 28, 2024at3:19 pm
So thankful, it was an awful idea to ruin the State Parks with crap.