Florida state parks proposal for golf courses, hotels was further along than DeSantis let on

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tried to distance himself from a controversial proposal to build golf courses and hotels in state parks, saying he didn’t approve the proposals before they were "leaked."

"It was not approved by me, I never saw that," DeSantis said at an Aug. 28 news conference in Winter Haven. "They’re going back to the drawing board. … They're not doing anything this year. They're going to go back and basically listen to folks. A lot of that stuff was half-baked and was not ready for prime time. And it was intentionally leaked out to a left-wing group to try to create a narrative."

The proposal for some state parks sparked outrage among residents. DeSantis made it sound as if the "half-baked" plan was leaked before it was ready. But the department’s attempted public rollout shows this was a proposal in its final stages.

The state published its full plans on a government website alongside an announcement for simultaneous public meetings across Florida within a matter of days. Officials in the governor’s office showed support of the plan at first, and state officials made a series of social media graphics touting it.

The Tampa Bay Times broke the story about the state park plans Aug. 20, and some of the details had been leaked to the outlet days earlier. By the time the story published, however, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had already issued a press release and planned public meetings.

The department’s Aug. 19 news release said its 2024-25 "Great Outdoors Initiative" would "expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options."

The next day the department uploaded proposals to its website for the nine parks.

The proposed plans included building golf courses, pickleball courts, disc golf courses and hotels in the parks. Multiple golf courses were pitched for Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County and 350-room hotels were proposed for Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine and TopSail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach. 

The Florida Department of State sent a notification Aug. 20 announcing plans to hold Aug. 27 public meetings about the proposed plans across the state. The department advertised the initiative on its social media accounts starting Aug. 19.

News of the proposed plans drew condemnation from both Republican and Democratic politicians and sparked protests throughout the state.

The department canceled the public meetings and withdrew the plans for golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

The Tampa Bay Times wrote its first story Aug. 20 and has published a series of follow-up reports. In its first story, the newspaper reported it had obtained copies of leaked documents detailing the proposed plans and wrote that the leaked documents had circulated more broadly, sparking discussion on social media.

DeSantis’ comments at the Aug. 28 news conference reversed his administration’s initial defense of the initiative in an Aug. 22 statement to the Times. 

"Teddy Roosevelt believed that public parks were for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and we agree with him," spokesperson Jeremy Redfern told the newspaper. "No administration has done more than we have to conserve Florida’s natural resources, grow conservation lands, and keep our environment pristine. But it’s high time we made public lands more accessible to the public."

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On Aug. 29, in response to PolitiFact’s questions about DeSantis’ saying the proposals were unapproved and leaked, Redfern said, "the governor’s comments speak for themselves."

The governor appoints the secretary of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection. Statewide initiatives by the agency are typically vetted and approved by the governor’s office before being shared with the public.

Eric Draper, who served as Florida’s state parks director from 2017 to 2021, said typically the state’s Department of Environmental Protection secretary has conversations directly with the governor’s office. Sometimes it’s with the governor’s policy chief of environmental affairs, or it may be with the chief of staff, he said.

"Either way, these initiatives are run by the governor's office, if not started at the governor's office," Draper said. "The department doesn’t do anything, in terms of initiatives, without getting some direction from them."

PolitiFact contacted the agency about its communications with the governor's office but didn’t receive a response by publication.

DeSantis said the environmental protection agency’s proposal to put golf courses, hotels in Florida state parks "was something that was leaked. … a lot of that stuff was half-baked and was not ready for prime time."

DeSantis’ remarks leave the impression that the proposed plan to convert state parkland into other uses was just an idea on the chalkboard in its initial stages and leaked prematurely. 

But the initiative to build golf courses, pickleball courts, disc golf courses, hotels and more in Florida’s state parks was not just an undeveloped idea. There were plans, documents and public meetings scheduled simultaneously across the state.

This came to the public’s attention as a plan in its final stages that was first reported on publicly by the Tampa Bay Times, and it was later acknowledged and promoted by an agency DeSantis oversees as governor. The Times received tips for its reporting, but it didn’t report on the leaked documents until the state announced the initiative was forthcoming.

DeSantis’ statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.