TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A House Republican Thursday filed a proposal to prevent development of things like golf courses, pickleball courts, and lodges at Florida’s state parks.
House Bill 209, proposed by Rep. John Snyder (R-Stuart), is identical to a proposal filed in the Senate last month. They’re collectively called the “State Park Protection Act.”
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The bills come after a public outcry last year following the reveal of the Department of Environmental Protection’s “Great Outdoors Initiative.”
The plans would have led to projects at nine parks, including Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine. The State’s plan for the local state park included four pickleball courts and building a 350-room lodge on a piece of the park south of the main entrance road. That area is currently a “borrow pit” from before the park was acquired by the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration paused the plans after receiving widespread criticism from congressmen in both parties.
The State Park Protection Act will be considered in the Florida legislative session that begins March 4th.
While large construction will be largely banned, the bills would allow the installation of cabins with a maximum occupancy of six guests. Still, the bill would require cabins, “to the maximum extent practicable, be sited to avoid impacts to a state park’s critical habitat and natural and historical resources.”
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