This week, Audubon workers, members, and outside fans celebrated the defeat of a collection of proposals that may have constructed golf programs, accommodations, pickleball courts, and extra in 9 of Florida’s busiest state parks.
The Improvement Proposals
From three golf programs at Jonathan Dickinson State Park to 350-room accommodations at Topsail Protect and Grayton Seashore state parks; pickleball and disc golf programs at Honeymoon Island and Hillsborough River to glamping at Camp Helen State Park; the event proposals touched 9 state parks throughout the Sunshine State (for an entire checklist of parks and proposals, click on here). The general public had just one week to arrange earlier than eight conferences (scheduled in the course of the work day, with no digital element, and all on the identical time) convened to take touch upon the proposals.
State parks have at all times balanced nature-based recreation with useful resource safety, and Florida’s is the one system within the nation to win the nationwide gold medal for state parks FOUR TIMES. State parks shield Florida’s most scenic landscapes, safeguarding assets not just for wildlife, but additionally for water high quality, fireplace safety, flood management, consuming water provide, and extra. Usually, they shield a few of the final, greatest remaining examples of uncommon habitats and views left in our quickly urbanizing state. Many of those parks are already working at peak visitation inside communities which have ample lodging, golf programs, and pickleball courts.
Florida has no scarcity of locations to swing a golf membership, pattern the continental breakfast, or strive your hand at pickleball—however more and more uncommon are the alternatives to identify the deep blue feathers of a Florida Scrub-Jay, witness the miracle of neotropical hen migration, or expertise Florida in all its pure magnificence.
Audubon Crew Leaps into Motion
As quickly as Audubon Florida workers realized of the proposals, we started calling state officers and alerting our members to the state park menace. Instantly, responses rolled in as greater than 30,000 individuals used our motion alert to ship letters to the Florida Division of Environmental Safety (DEP), the company in control of state parks, and Governor Ron DeSantis. Members of the coverage workforce—Beth Alvi, Chris Farrell, Kelly Cox, Charles Lee, Caitlin Newcamp, and Brad Cornell—contacted stakeholders and pulled collectively essential info on the impacts of the proposed improvement, whereas Chapters Conservation Supervisor Kristen Kosik labored with our sturdy community of conservation leaders to coordinate public assembly attendance and Erika Zambello led the communications workforce’s outreach efforts. The media took notice: Greater than 80 tales ran quotes from Government Director Julie Wraithmell, and plenty of others quoted native leaders from Florida’s 44 Audubon chapters.
You Spoke, They Listened
Amidst the bipartisan avalanche of public help for the state parks and rejection of those improvement proposals, members of Florida’s state legislature, cupboard, congressional delegation and each U.S. Senators all echoed the priority expressed by their constituents. DEP first delayed the general public conferences seeking bigger venues to accommodate those that wished to share their opinions in particular person, then cancelled them altogether as Governor DeSantis despatched the administration plan amendments “again to the drafting board.” If reworked proposals are submitted, they received’t return for public remark till subsequent yr.
Wanting In direction of the Future
Audubon congratulates the passionate conservationists and park lovers throughout the state who spoke out for these particular locations during the last week. You wrote letters, shared updates, and referred to as your elected officers—and it labored!
“The state parks have already got a course of for contemplating proposals, which is the continuing unit administration planning course of,” says Audubon Florida Government Director Julie Wraithmell, “It is not clear to us why proposals like these can be taken off cycle, somewhat than thought of inside the context of all the wants of a person park. This course of already has a strong public remark interval as properly, making it clear, science-based, and inclusive.”
Audubon Florida will proceed to assist grassroots advocates interact with park planners as this course of strikes ahead, in addition to offering professional analysis of the potential impacts of recent proposals. As Florida’s oldest statewide conservation group, Audubon was a part of the trouble to create Florida’s state parks and is simply as essential to the survival of those particular locations and their wildlife at present.