The bill would order the state to prioritize conservation-based recreational activities.
Last summer’s controversy that erupted across the state about the potential construction of lodges, golf courses and pickleball courts at Florida state parks will continue into the state’s 2025 legislative session.
State Sen. Gayle Harrell, a Stuart Republican, has filed the State Parks Preservation Act (SB 80) for next year. The bill would order the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to prioritize conservation-based recreational activities and specifically says those activities do not include golf, tennis, pickleball or sports that require a ball field.
Harrell’s Martin County district includes Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which was scheduled for three golf courses under a “Great Outdoors Initiative” announced last August. The initiative would have removed a boardwalk and the Hobe Mountain observational tower at Dickinson.
The lawmaker also wants DEP to develop 10-year management plans for each of the state’s 175 state parks. Those plans are to prioritize conservation-based recreational activities like fishing, camping, canoeing and hiking.
The bill filing is a turnaround from recent sessions in which Republican lawmakers, who still control both the House and Senate with supermajorities, showed great deference to the executive branch led by Gov. and then-presidential candidate Ron DeSantis; DEP is under the governor.
The Great Outdoors Initiative, which DeSantis has said he wasn’t involved with, survived only a couple of weeks after it was announced. It drew protests from the public and opposition from elected officials from city halls to Congress.
The initiative called for a 350-room lodge at Topsail Preserve in Santa Rosa County, a disc golf course at Maclay Gardens in Tallahassee and a pickleball court at Florida Caverns in Marianna, among others. There were also plans for golf courses and tennis courts throughout the award-winning state park system.
The public was given less than a week’s notice to prepare for a single public hearing on the proposal. U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott called the initiative “absolutely ridiculous.” State Sen. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, whose district includes three state parks, said the initiative created “unnecessary development.”
DeSantis soon backed away from the proposal and said officials were “going back to the drawing board.”
Harrell’s bill would provide guardrails for DEP officials if they intend to resubmit the initiative. The requirement of 10-year management plans for each park would include a detailed description of the park’s land, backed up by an inventory of forest and natural resources, such as water features and significant cultural and historical features.
Harrell also wants the management plan to include measurable objectives for habitat restoration and maintenance, public access, sustainable forest management, and more. Any changes in the plans must include a 30-day notice for at least one public hearing with publication of the proposed change.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
Mysterious group says it was behind plans to add golf to a treasured Florida State Park.
A mysterious foundation called Tuskegee Dunes, whose Florida lobbyists include a former secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, says it is behind the controversial proposed golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park – and that it is now pulling the plug on the plan.
A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection confirmed late Sunday that the foundation withdrew its application for the golf course proposal.
The Delaware-registered foundation said in a statement sent to The Palm Beach Post late Friday that the golf courses and other facilities would have told the “inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II.”
But facing extreme opposition from park fans, lawmakers and environmental organizations, it backpedaled on the project Sunday, sending a note to media representatives and through political commentator Daniel Bongino that it was no longer pursuing the proposal.
“Serving God and Country is our daily goal,” said the statement, which Bongino posted on Facebook. “That was the spirit for the idea to bring world class public golf to south east Florida … We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location. We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
It was the latest twist in a saga that began with documents being leaked to environmentalists a week ago showing plans for the installation of three public golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson as part of the state’s 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative.
The fervor of discontent that followed led to the state postponing public meetings that were scheduled for Tuesday, and a multitude of politicians decrying what many said they knew nothing about. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, said he couldn’t find anyone with knowledge of the courses and will use Florida’s Sunshine Law to get more information on the “proposed plan to bulldoze Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
“Our community deserves answers,” Mast said Saturday.
A map released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows the proposed areas of Jonathan Dickinson State Park that were considered for conversion into golf courses. (Florida Department of Environmental Protection)
But Sunday’s statement from Tuskegee Dunes Foundation about pulling out of the project still leaves questions. Mast reposted the statement to his Facebook page, but the lack of comment from any state agency or online footprint by Tuskegee Dunes has left some to question the veracity of the claim and whether the post by Bongino is from a counterfeit account.
Tequesta resident Jessica Namath, who is spearheading the fight against the golf courses, said on social media the opposition must continue until there is confirmation from DEP that the plan is kaput. “If the state agency decides at the last minute to not keep Jonathan Dickinson State Park in the mix we need to pivot to supporting the other Florida State Parks,” Namath said.
“Everyone’s decided we need to see something official,” Namath told The Palm Beach Post on Sunday. “We have a lot of questions. Why is (Bongino) the one sending this out? I think this raises more questions. We are not buying it or believing it until we see something formally issued.”
DEP spokeswoman Alex Kuchta said in a statement late Sunday that the proposal was withdrawn.
“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection appreciates the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation’s good-faith proposal for a public golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park,” Kuchta wrote in the statement. “While they are withdrawing their proposal, the foundation worked with the state to pursue a project that would have created a public, world class golf course for all, while supporting veterans, first responders and their families. Their plan to honor the Tuskegee Airmen was noble.”
In Bongino’s personal note, he mentions the nonprofit charity Folds of Honor, which had tried previously to push the golf course plan at Jonathan Dickinson but was rebuffed. Oklahoma-based Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships for the families of fallen or disabled military service members and first responders, had not come forward as having been associated with the current plan.
“My good friends at Folds of Honor have also assured me that they do not plan to move forward on this project,” said Bongino, who lives in Palm City. “They are great people, doing great things. They just didn’t understand the local passion for JD Park. They heard us and did the right thing.”
Because of Delaware’s strict corporate privacy rules, no information about anyone connected to the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation is available. The foundation, which incorporated in August 2021, is listed as having $436 in delinquent taxes, according to the Delaware Division of Corporations.
The Tuskegee Dunes statement also does not give information as to where Tuskegee Dunes is based, whether it is a nonprofit organization, a website address, board members or its history. The website TuskegeeDunesFoundation.com says it is “launching soon.”
In the original note from Tuskegee Dunes when it was still promoting the plan, it says it would donate profits from the courses at Jonathan Dickinson to Folds of Honor.
In Florida lobbyist records, Ryan E. Matthews is named as a representative of Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, which lists the same Owasso, Oklahoma, address as that of Folds of Honor. Matthews, who is now with the law firm of GrayRobinson, was interim secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection under former Gov. Rick Scott. He served for four months in 2017.
Phone and email messages to Matthews were not returned over the weekend.
Folds of Honor is also associated with American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan.
The creation of American Dunes in 2018 was led by North Palm Beach resident and golf legend Jack Nicklaus, with him donating his $3 million design fee, according to the American Dunes website. The American Dunes motto is “The church that Jack built. God. Country. Golf.”
In 2011, legislators tried to add golf courses to state parks through bills that would have created the “Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail of Florida.” The only park specifically mentioned in the House’s version of the bill was Jonathan Dickinson, which is nearest Nicklaus’s North Palm Beach home.
The bills were quickly withdrawn after public outcry.
Last week, Nicklaus Companies, which is no longer affiliated with founder Jack Nicklaus, said it was not associated with the recent golf course plans. The statement from Nicklaus Companies emphasized that it was from the firms – Nicklaus Companies and Nicklaus Design – alone, not Jack Nicklaus personally.
“We take great pride in the Nicklaus name, our reputation, and the work we do at Nicklaus Design – particularly as it relates to environmental and community stewardship,” the statement from Nicklaus Companies said. “Florida is our company’s home, and many of our employees are frequent patrons of our beautiful state parks. You can be assured that everything we do is in keeping with these principles.”
According to the Tuskegee Dunes, the proposed golf courses would have taken up about 600 acres of Jonathan Dickinson State Park’s 10,500 acres and include 36 holes designed by “world class golf course designers.” The planned design would have included a nine-hole course called Red Tail that would have been fully accessible in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. A practice park would double as an outdoor gathering place for local community events.
Tuskegee Dunes filed for multiple trademarks in June 2023, including for golf course design and development.
Mountain bike and hiking trails would have been incorporated into the plans and “enhancements will be made to the Observation Tower,” according to the statement sent to The Post on Friday.
“Southeast Florida, including the Jupiter area, has limited public golf,” Friday’s statement from Tuskegee Dunes says. “A total of 85% in the Southeast corridor is private golf. This is a dramatic contrast to the national average of 80% public vs. private golf access.”
Eric Draper, who was director of the Florida Park Service for four years through 2021, said he was disappointed that a former DEP secretary may have been involved in trying to “take away our state parks.”
“If it weren’t for everyone expressing their point of view, I think the governor and DEP would have pushed this right through,” Draper said. “So, I am so proud of what everyone has done. This is what the governor doesn’t get: The parks belong to the people.”
Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, said Folds of Honor approached her last year and asked if she would sponsor legislation aimed at bringing golf specifically to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. They highlighted the benefits to veterans the golfing venture could mean.
“They had a lovely presentation on what they are doing in Michigan,” Harrell said Saturday. “I told them, ‘It’s a marvelous idea, but you don’t do it in a state park.’
“This is not the appropriate use,” she continued, calling the park “a natural treasure of the Treasure Coast.”
“The state parks are to protect the natural habitat and environment of the area as well as preserve it for future generations,” she said. Harrell said she’s all about helping veterans – her daughter is one and married to another one. But there’s a limit.
“Golf courses are wonderful – somewhere else, not in Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
Eight other state parks have also been proposed for added amenities including pickleball courts, disc golf and 350-bed lodges.
– Palm Beach Post staff writer Anne Geggis and editor Holly Baltz contributed to this story.
Does Florida need more golf courses at the expense of protected land in state parks?
A proposal to convert sections of several protected Florida State Parks to golf courses, lodges and other non-traditional park amenities has started to garner plenty of opposition after the surprise “Great Outdoors Initiative” was announced on August 19 by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The most eye-popping changes might be the introduction of 45 holes of golf to Jonathan Dickinson State Park, an 11,500-acre park in Martin County near Jupiter in southeast Florida that features sandy dunes – the kind of land frequently coveted by golf developers.
The Department of Environmental Protection released the plans on social media after they were initially leaked. With no detailed description of the golf plans, a map included in the official release shows the proposed courses (shown in pink below).
A map released by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows the proposed areas of Jonathan Dickinson State Park that could be converted into golf courses. (Florida Department of Environmental Protection)
Equally eye-popping is that the proposals appear to many observers to have come out of thin air, with no public input in the development of plans to this point. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, a staunch environmental defender of the nearby St. Lucie River, told ThePalm Beach Post that park proposals came without any forewarning.
“Nobody that I spoke to in government had heard literally one thing about this,” Mast said during an interview at Jonathan Dickinson on Thursday. “Everyone was taken by surprise.”
After several days of silence, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s spokesman responded to criticism this week with statements on social media indicating the proposed changes are all about public access and utilization of the parks.
“The Department of Environmental Protection and the Division of Parks are looking at recommendations for ways to enhance Florida’s parks to make them more visitor-friendly.”
This is not the first time golf was proposed in Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Legislative initiatives in 2011 included a Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the park, but those plans were quickly swept away after substantial public criticism.
There are more than 1,300 golf courses in Florida, which has been dubbed in many marketing efforts as the Golf Capital of the World. The majority of Florida’s golf courses offer public access.
Florida operates 175 state parks within environments ranging from upland scrub to aquatic shorelines, with parks ranging in size from a handful of acres to more than 75,000 acres. Typical amenities might include campsites, cabins and trails, most constructed with a goal of minimizing human impact while providing recreational and educational opportunities. They are operated by the Florida Park Service, a division of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Some aspects of the Park Service’s historic mission could change if the new proposals are carried out. The proposed plans also include the introduction of pickleball, disc golf, paddling, cabins and lodges with as many as 350 rooms.
Changes have been proposed at nine parks around the state. As required by law, the DEP has scheduled a series of public meetings on August 27 in each county where park changes have been proposed. But those mostly simultaneous, in-person-only meetings will be limited to one hour with public speakers limited to three minutes of comments each. Opponents say the limited comment period indicates the rushed meetings are insufficient and that a wide range of comments isn’t valued.
DeSantis is a frequent golfer. Comments by Redfern, DeSantis’ press secretary, included the following:
“There will be multiple phases of public discussion to evaluate stakeholders’ feedback. The agency’s initial recommendations are based on public input and proposals—from pickleball to golf to additional bike trails and camping access; the proposals vary and may not all be approved.
“Finally, recommendations will be evaluated, and no final decisions will be made until the public comment and review process has been completed.”
