The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has postponed meetings scheduled on Tuesday throughout the state for public comment on its controversial “Great Outdoors Initiative,” which originally called for adding three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, plus pickleball, disc golf, and paddling facilities at eight other state parks.
“Due to the overwhelming interest with the 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative, DEP is looking for new venues to accommodate the public,” the agency announced on X on Friday afternoon. “We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. Public input is vital to DEP decision-making.”
The agency has yet to provide specific dates when or where the new public hearings will take place, though it did say they are expected to begin next week. The FDEP has created a dedicated webpage where Floridians can submit written comments on the draft proposals.
The proposed changes to the nine state parks were met with an explosion of bipartisan criticism after the story was initially reported by the Tampa Bay Times last week, and hundreds of people protested at Anastasia Park in St. Augustine and at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin on Sunday.
The foundation behind the proposed golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Tuskegee Dunes, withdrew its application for the golf course proposal over the weekend. The group said on its website that it had been working with the state of Florida to bring “world class public golf to southeast Florida.”
However, the foundation said it had heard loud and clear over the past week that the plan was not welcomed by Floridians.
“We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location,” the foundation said in a statement. “We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
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