‘Too large and too risky’: Lindsay Cross fires back on proposed Florida state parks development

Lindsay Cross is leading the charge for a call for increased conservation spending.

Rep. Lindsay Cross is criticizing a Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) initiative that contemplates building a series of golf courses, pickleball courts, large-footprint lodges and frisbee golf courses in several of Florida’s state parks.

In a letter to DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton, Cross called DEP’s Great Outdoors Initiative “too large and too risky.”

Cross, an environmental scientist and a Democrat, penned a diplomatically written complaint about the plans, which propose big changes to nine state parks.

Some of those changes include two 350-room park lodges, pickleball courts in seven parks, disc golf courses in five parks, new cabins in three parks, and a golf complex at Jonathan Dickinson State Park on Florida’s southeast coast that would require razing the existing boardwalk and observation tower.

“Many of these proposed changes are inconsistent with the mission of Florida State Parks,” she wrote, adding that the goal is to “provide resource-based recreation while preserving, interpreting, and restoring natural and cultural resources.” 

Cross, known for her ability to work across the aisle in a GOP-controlled Legislature, stuck to pleas to slow down, rather than list grievances that have been aired on various social media sites since DEP announced its plan Monday.

Those complaints have largely centered on concerns for natural preservation, including threats to the Florida scrub-jay population, which is a threatened species in the state.

Julie Wraithmell, the Executive Director for Audubon Florida, told The Associated Press earlier this week that Florida’s parks “are the last strongholds for a lot of wildlife in rapidly urbanizing communities in Florida.”

But while environmental questions abound, Cross instead asked for more time for the state to hear from concerned citizens.

“This initiative must be slowed down, and each management plan amendment for each park must be properly submitted with sufficient detail, given proper public vetting in the form of duly noticed public hearings, and then proceed to individual review,” she wrote.

Cross pointed out in her letter that “there will be eight meetings scheduled for the same time throughout our state, giving concerned community members little time to review the management plan amendments and their impacts on protected habitat.” She also said the plans “lack any degree of detail as to location of the proposed amenities and potential impacts within each park.”

She also complained that the public meeting announcements were given “less than a week before they are supposed to take place and were not posted in the Florida Administrative Register.”

While pushback to the proposed park changes has been swift and widespread, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration sees the proposal as a way to reinforce “the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians,” according to its Monday announcement.

The announcement included data regarding Florida’s parks, showing they “attracted nearly 30 million visitors” in the 2022-23 fiscal year and that they contribute “to an annual economic impact of $3.6 billion.” The state heralds the park system as a boon to tourism.

DEP’s announcement said the proposed plans would ensure “all improvements are welcoming and reflective of Florida’s heritage, are complimentary of and work with park-specific resources, are compatible and fitting within surrounding landscapes, and provide efficient amenities that visitors expect.”

The release did not detail how the plans would advance conservation efforts or protect habitats. Instead, it claimed to reinforce “the DeSantis Administration’s record support for conserving our natural landscapes and commitment to ensuring every Floridian can visit and recreate at Florida’s state parks.”

The release also touted the DeSantis-backed tax holiday that recently concluded, providing sales tax exemptions on certain outdoor items and activities, as well as free entry into state parks.