PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The proposal to add pickleball courts, golf courses, and other amenities to several Florida state parks continues to receive a lot of backlash.
So much so that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection rescheduled their public meetings, which were set for Tuesday.
But that's not stopping environmentalist groups from having their voices heard.
On Tuesday at 2 p.m., people will line the streets of Honeymoon Island State Park to protest the development.
”We are deeply concerned," said Kira Barrera with Suncoast Sierra Club. "We are very activated and organized.”
The FDEP proposed this plan, which could impact two state parks in the Tampa Bay Region. The plan shows they could add four pickleball courts to Honeymoon Island State Park, while Hillsborough River State Park could see four pickleball courts and a disc golf course.
Local politicians also voiced opposition to the plan.
“As someone who has fought tirelessly to protect Honeymoon Island State Park from development and for Florida residents to be granted a 1 month advance on reservations at any of our beautiful parks before they open to the public, I stand in opposition to the Department of Environmental Protection’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Our office was not aware of the DEP proposal until after it was released to the public and I will be working closely with my fellow legislators and our Commissioner of Agriculture to see how we can further protect our State Parks from commercialization.”
Full statement from Rep. Adam Anderson
Letter from Rep. Adam Anderson, District 57 by ABC Action News on Scribd
“Our award-winning, nationally recognized parks are one of the best nature-based recreation opportunities our state offers, and I am very proud to represent Hillsborough River State Park in the Florida Legislature. I stand united with the many Floridians who’ve already made their voices heard and oppose the changes in the 2024-25 “Great Outdoors Initiative.”
Floridians don’t want to turn park land into hotels and golf courses. They want the legislature to focus on solutions to everyday issues like the property insurance crisis.
Our state parks have existing approved management plans and welcome more than 25 million guests each year. Any proposed changes to our parks should include environmental impact statements and go through a proper citizens advisory process, neither of which has occurred here. It would be irresponsible to proceed with such drastic changes without conducting our due diligence and, more importantly, it is a distraction from the issues we should be addressing.”
Some residents did say that they welcomed the proposed changes.
“I play pickleball, so maybe that has something to do with it, but I don’t have a huge problem with it," Dunedin resident Kenneth Ciccarone said.
The majority of people I spoke with said they are strongly against the proposal.
“We think this proposal is just absolutely ridiculous,” Barrera said.
“That’s what I like. I like hiking here, swimming here, and the dog beach. I’d rather leave it the way it is," Dunedin resident John Russell said.
The groups will meet to protest at Honeymoon Island on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 2 p.m.
The public meeting will be rescheduled for the week of Sept. 2.
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