Creative Heroes behind the ‘Save Our Parks’ Response
By Sheri L. Webber
On December 4th, while many Floridians were focused on the holidays and all that comes with the season of giving, Senator Gayle Harrell filed Senate Bill 80, the State Park Preservation Act, to halt the present and future possibility of constructing golf courses, pickleball courts, ball fields, and more in Florida state parks. Harrell’s legislation, if enacted, would ensure prioritization of “conservation-based public outdoor recreational uses” in state parks. The bill also requires public hearings for all updated conservation and non-conservation land management plans and that individual management plans for parcels located within state parks be developed with input from an advisory group compliant with Florida Sunshine Law.
What constitutes conservation-based public recreation? According to the bill text, it is fishing, camping, bicycling, hiking, swimming, boating, canoeing, horseback riding, diving, birding, sailing, jogging, and the like. If passed, the bill would take effect July 1st of this year.
The “behind-the-scenes story of the Florida state park scandal” was widely reported, and the most accurate account—in the opinion of Eric Draper, former director of the Florida Park Service—was captured by Max Chesnes and Emily L. Mahoney from the Tampa Bay Times. In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap.
