A Senate bill aimed at blocking Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration’s now withdrawn Great Outdoors Initiative to build golf courses and luxury hotels at state parks cleared a key committee Tuesday despite dissent from environmentalists.
Meanwhile the House will debate a companion proposal to Sen. Gayle Harrell’s proposed State Parks Preservation Act Wednesday, as relations between the governor and House continue to deteriorate with a lack of transparency by executive branch agencies becoming one of the flash points.
Both proposals were sparked by a Department of Environmental Protection surprise announcement last summer that it planned to allow golf courses at John Dickinson State Park in Martin County, luxury lodges at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County, and a flying disc course at Alfred B. MacClay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee, along with pickleball and tennis courts at other parks. An eruption of bipartisan opposition led DeSantis to withdraw the initiative.
Sen. Gayle Harrell listens to remarks presented Senate President Kathleen Passidomo during the opening day of the 2024 Legislative Session on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
Harrell, R-Stuart, and the House proposal by Rep. John Snyder, also R-Stuart, focus DEP’s management of parks on conservation-based recreation and prohibit lodging facilities and sports that require dedicated infrastructures such as ball fields.
The two bills are interchangeable until line 254 where the Senate proposal’s use of weaker language allegedly creates a loophole to allow development such as golf courses, according to groups like 1000 Friends of Florida, Friends of the Everglades, and Florida Native Plants Society.
“We appreciate the spirit of the bill,” Chadwick Leonard of 1000 Friends told the Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations subcommittee, but he said he preferred the House’s language because it is more specific on what is and is not allowed at a state park.
“We would love to work with Sen. Harrell to include it in the bill,” Leonard said.
John Snyder, Florida House District 86
The differences between the two bills: The House directs DEP to manage the park system “by minimizing impacts to undisturbed habitats,” while the Senate continues the sentence to include “and using disturbed uplands regions to the maximum extent practicable.”
Environmentalists object to the added words. They note without definitions or examples, the phrase creates a loophole large enough to permit the kind of developments that sparked the protests of the Great Outdoors Initiative. And before the committee meeting, Harrell said an amendment to clarify her proposal was not ready to be introduced.
“The environmentalists are saying they would like the language to be a little tighter. I want to be able to pass the bill,” Harrell said about the challenge she faces to get her proposal approved with less than three weeks remaining in the session.
The tranquil reflecting pond at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, bordered by lush greenery and drawing the eye toward Lake Hall.
Snyder’s bill has passed two committees with a cumulative vote of 40–0; Harrell’s proposal has also been approved by two committees with a vote total of 21–0. The House will debate their proposal first, and if it is approved, will send it to the Senate for consideration.
The Senate bill has one more committee stop, and Harrell said she is amenable to amending it: “I am amenable to a whole variety of things. I’m working with all parties, looking at the House bill and talking to a variety of people,” Harrell said, adding the goal is “to pass this bill this year.”
The Legislature is scheduled to be in session till May 2.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Differences in state parks bills spark concerns among advocates