WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he will restart the hearing process after swift and bipartisan outrage erupted over a plan to change some Florida state parks.
Capitol Reporter Forrest Saunders confirmed Wednesday through a DeSantis administration official that the governor will seek more public input on the project before possibly moving forward. The administration plans to restart the public hearing process in 2025.
"I am completely fine to just do nothing, and do no improvements, if that's what the general public wants," Governor DeSantis said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection proposed the project last week. It was called the "Great Outdoors Initiative." The project would increase campsites, cabins, and lodging within state park properties and provide more park amenities, including pickleball, disc golf, golf, and paddling.
Nine parks across the state had proposed upgrades, including Honeymoon Island and Hillsborough River State Parks.
The changes sparked fierce protest from people like Michelle Birnbaum, who lives in Dunedin and visits Honeymoon Island weekly.
“I’m relieved right now that we’re not going to have a bulldozer putting a pickleball court in here," she said.
Wednesday, DeSantis described the proposals as "half-baked and not ready for prime time" as he sent them back to the drawing board. However, Gretchen Hoke will remain vigilant.
“We see behind the smoke screens, and we’re going to stand our ground," she said.
Hoke, the executive director of Rain Frog Ranch in Plant City, came to the defense of Hillsborough River State Park and said the fight launched a movement by unifying Floridians and showing them they do have a voice.
“It’s nice to see everybody being able to come together," she said.
Birnbaum, meanwhile, hopes the state learned a lesson: the public should get a say about what happens on public lands.
“We’re not opposed to changes. We’re just opposed to not being listened to and our input added," she said. “If you’re going to make changes, we don’t want those changes to destroy the wild nature of our beautiful parks.”
Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone obtained the most recent batch of Florida teacher exit interviews which detail, in their own words, why teachers left the classroom this summer.
