Floridians love their parks, as evidenced by the swift backlash of Gov. Ron DeSantis' initiative that would add amenities such as golf courses and pickleball courts to several state parks.
They "are the last strongholds for a lot of wildlife in rapidly urbanizing communities in Florida,” Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida told the Associated Press.
Unlike the issues of abortion, LGBTQ rights, race and guns that have divided voters, state parks apparently hold a place in the hearts of Floridians regardless of party. The state park system has received national recognition for years, and people are resistant to change the protected lands they enjoy.
DeSantis' administration announced plans this week to carve out golf courses and pickleball courts in Florida's beloved state parks. The proposal, dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” has drawn opposition from Republican and Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups alike.
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The proposed changes, which would affect nine parks, include lodges of up to 350 rooms, pickleball courts, disc golf courses and golf courses.
The aftermath of the criticism
The state Department of Environmental Protection has pushed back a series of meetings about the controversial proposal. Eight meetings had been scheduled for Tuesday at sites throughout the state, but the department said Friday in a post on X that new meeting dates will be announced for the week of Sept. 2.
“We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate,” the department said.
The post said the agency was looking for new venues to accommodate the public.
What's the difference between state parks and national parks?
The "Great Outdoors Initiative" would only affect state parks, but South Florida is home to three national parks.
The biggest difference is the governing body that oversees them. State parks are operated by the state government, and the federal government oversees national parks. But both serve the same purpose – they're protected lands that serve economic value, health and environmental benefits, and have social importance, according to the National Recreation and Park Association.
Here are the many state and national parks you can find in South Florida:
State parks in South Florida
MIAMI-DADE
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park: Located on the tip of Key Biscayne and just minutes from downtown Miami, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is also home to the Cape Florida Lighthouse. Built in 1825, it's the oldest structure in Miami-Dade County and holds almost 200 years of history.
Oleta River State Park: Billed as Florida's largest urban park, Oleta River State Park offers parkgoers 15 miles of off-road bicycling trails and paddling along lush mangrove forests. It hosts about 15 endangered species and contains one of the largest concentrations of Australian "pine," an invasive species. This is one of the parks up for development under the Great Outdoors Initiative.
Grossman Hammock State Park: Also known as the Chekika Day Use Area, this park was closed indefinitely in 2013 due to budget cuts. It was previously only open seasonally and parkgoers used the area for bicycling, short hikes and picnicking.
BROWARD
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park: Located in Dania Beach, this state park is named after the late civil rights activists who led "wade-in" protests to desegregate beaches and was once Broward County's designated "colored beach." It's now a popular location for swimming, fishing, boating, hiking and picnicking. This park is also up for development under the Great Outdoors Initiative.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park: The "Central Park" of Fort Lauderdale was a gift to the city by Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch and is described as an urban oasis between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.
MONROE
Bahia Honda State Park: This park, an island, is known for its iconic Florida Keys scenery, including the derelict Bahia Honda Bridge that now acts as an overlook and offers a panoramic view of the islands.
Curry Hammock State Park: This secluded, undeveloped parcel of land is described as a vital habitat for many local and migrating species and protects areas essential to the Florida Keys ecosystem, including mangrove swamps and seagrass beds.
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park: This park, whose namesake is a local environmental activist, was slated to become a condominium development but is now the home of 84 protected species of plants and animals and contains one of the largest tracts of West Indian subtropical hardwood hammock in the United States.
Long Key State Park: Once a popular luxury tourist destination for the rich and famous, Long Key State Park can now be enjoyed by all and offers bird-watching, swimming, kayaking and more.
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park: Parkgoers can step back in time and explore the former quarry made up of Key Largo limestone. In the early 1900s, the Florida East Coast Railroad used the stone to build Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad.
PALM BEACH
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park: This park is described as a unique mixture of coastal and tropical hammock and mangrove forest, and is a haven for several rare or endangered native tropical and coastal plant species.
National parks in South Florida
Everglades National Park: Everglades National Park is the largest designated subtropical wilderness reserved in the North American continent and is home to many critically threatened and endangered species, such as the Florida panther, American crocodile and the West Indian manatee.
Biscayne National Park: Biscayne National Park, south of Miami, is 95% underwater and protects the shoreline mangrove swamp, Biscayne Bay, the coral limestone keys and the Florida Reef. It's also home to many threatened and endangered species such as manatees, crocodiles and sea turtles.
Dry Tortugas National Park: West of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park protects a seven-key archipelago (Garden, Loggerhead, Bush, Long, East, Hospital, and Middle) in the Gulf of Mexico. Garden Key is the home of the 19th-century Fort Jefferson, the largest all-masonry fort in the United States.
