Swampy's Florida

Seems this is not DeSantis and definitely not the Cabinet’s effort. Appears the head of the State Parks is seeking this without passing it by the top dogs.
This morning I saw Wilt Simpson’s post from Florida Politics, attached below. Simpson, clearly planning to run for Governor in 2028, CFO Patronis and top GOP members of Legislature state they are against this. Simpson & Patronis are a strong signal Desantis is against this, too. I’m pretty sure this is a dead issue and DEP might as well cancel the meetings.

The idea of trying to build a golf course in Jonathan Dickinson State Park is hilarious. Golf courses have been shutting down statewide for more than 20 years. Most of that land is lying fallow. Watering a golf course at Jonathan Dickinson would be near impossible. If you’ve been to the park you know of what I write. That sandy scrub could not practically support a golf course run by the State. A tip to me that this is all a ruse of some sort. All of the parks selected are very sensitive to what happens to them. Why not pick Wekiva, Fort Cooper or Highlands Hammock that does have excess land that could be used?

Question is – Where did this idea come from?
1) More land has been brought in under DeSantis than any Governor collectively. Some 26,000+ acres. Most being donated by old family farms where the coward kids are refusing to continue the farm heritage and the older family wanting the land preserved. Thing is, what on earth is the State doing with so much land. I’m an avid hiker statewide. Despite the hooha of this proposal, a very tiny % – tinier than that – of our population uses our parks, State or otherwise. Are you part of that %? The future sees even smaller to negligible use. If this proposal were true, why not do such projects with newly acquired land?

2) The last couple Governors have pushed a bit for the State Parks to turn some sort of profit to help pay to keep parks open. However, being involved with a State Park myself, this push has been mostly light weight. Is this an effort by DEP to call the hand of park profit and demonstrate the idea is not wanted?

3) Is this coming from another level? Maybe Michael Regan, head of EPA in Washington? That department has been really quirky the past 4 years and going all over the place in and out of policy, sometimes not even in this country.

4) Is this a political move? The timing is somewhat strange. This is a little late to be constructing bills for next year’s Legislature. It is a good time if trying to cause political stirring of the pot. There is enormous turbulence covertly happening statewide involving Last Tuesday’s and November 5th’s elections. I could not begin to get into it all here. Suffice to write that this could be an offshoot of that to embarrass certain politicos.

Whatever the cause, I’m guessing, DEP Director, Shawn Hamilton will be out the door soon and , now, pretty certain none of the proposals will occur.

Florida Cabinet members alarmed by state park development plan