Florida Rejects Ron DeSantis' Plan to Ruin Parks, Political Backers Pull Out

Floridians are rejecting Ron DeSantis and his attempts to compete with Disney by turning pristine state parks into pickleball, disc golf, and golf courses en masse, and now his own political party is turning against him.

DeSantis and the Great Outdoors Initiative

Ron DeSantis is on his second round as Florida governor, meaning he will be unable to run again in the next election cycle due to term limits. While he will become eligible again in the future, his recent attempt to run for the United States Presidency indicates he has bigger ambitions.

Considering that his 2024 campaign ended in an embarrassing concession to the man who repeatedly and publicly referred to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious,” “Meatball Ron,” and “Tiny D,” it is unclear whether he will be able to recover his reputation on a national scale.

In the meantime, DeSantis has recovered from his extended battle with The Walt Disney Company, which dared use its First Amendment rights as a corporation to criticize his Parental Rights in Education Act, by signing innumerable new bills into law before he leaves office.

That includes new laws enabling the penalization of a single balloon, forbidding lab-grown meat from harming his friends in the powerful cattle ranching lobby, killing black bears without any evidence of a single human death caused by a bear in Florida, and, infamously, being a bastion of small government by using executive power to prevent communities from protecting workers from extreme heat and requiring water breaks.

Governor DeSantis has also been promoting his “Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access, Recreation and Lodging at Florida State Parks.” As one might expect, that sounds good on paper; Florida has famously beautiful landscapes and getting residents out into nature in a respectful and fun way is a net gain for society.

Related: NEW: Ron DeSantis Successfully Bans Medicine at Disney World

The state claims:

“The initiative will work to expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across Florida’s state parks—reinforcing the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians.”

“In addition to increasing the number of campsites, cabins and lodges on park property, the initiative will increase the number of outdoor recreation opportunities available at Florida’s state parks, including pickleball, disc golf, golf and paddling.”

“Since 2019, Florida has invested over $400 million to support the operation and maintenance of existing park infrastructure. Through this initiative, DEP will begin to update state park plans to allow for increased public access, while employing the same best practices utilized by DEP and park systems across the country, ensuring 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.”

In reality, the Great Outdoors Initiative is an attempt to transform nine state parks into golf courses and pickleball courts, which is surely a positive thing in the eyes of construction companies and the industries that support them. It will also increase state revenue and de facto privatize public land by contracting it out to companies for development.

Far from encouraging Floridians to spend more time in the eponymous “great outdoors,” the actual initiative includes the following plans:

• Anastasia State Park (St. Johns County) would see a 350-room lodge constructed.
• Camp Helen State Park (Bay County) would see 10 cabins constructed for lodging and “glamping.”
• Grayton Beach State Park (Walton County) would see an additional 10 cabins constructed plus a beach-access restroom
• Hillsborough River State Park (Hillsborough County) would see 4 new pickleball courts and a disc golf course
• Honeymoon Island State Park (Pinellas County) would see 4 new pickleball courts.
• Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Martin County) would see a public golf course
• Oleta River State Park (Miami-Dade County) would see the construction of new cabins, pickleball courts and disc golf courses.
• Topsail Hill Preserve State Park (Walton County) would see the construction of a 350-room lodge, pickleball courts and a disc golf course.
• Dr. Von Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park (Broward County) would see 4 new pickleball courts.

Despite DeSantis’ popularity in Florida and his influence over the state GOP, this finally seems to be a step too far, and the governor is facing mass protests from citizens and his own party.

Plans to turn Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southeast Florida into a golf course seem to have triggered a massive response. According to AP News, “The Department of Environmental Protection confirmed in an email that one group is no longer pursuing golf courses at pristine Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southeast Florida. The agency statement came after the backer, a nonprofit called Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, withdrew its proposal over the weekend.”

The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation released a statement initial statement saying, “We have received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is not the right location. We will not pursue building in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”

Reportedly, hundreds of protestors showed up at Florida state parks over the weekend. Floridians have been particularly outraged that the public meetings to hear from the communities the Great Outdoors Initiative will affect were quietly announced to last a single hour during typical work hours; it can be reasonably inferred that the intent was to keep resident involvement at a minimum. The meetings have since been delayed and not yet rescheduled.

Audobon Florida released a statement regarding the withdrawn Dickinson State Park golf course plans, saying:

“State parks have always balanced nature-based recreation with resource protection, and Florida’s is the only state park system in the country to win the gold medal for state parks FOUR TIMES. State parks protect Florida’s most scenic landscapes, safeguarding resources not only for wildlife, but also for water quality, fire protection, flood control, drinking water supply, and more. Often they protect some of the last, best remaining examples of rare habitats and views left in our rapidly urbanizing state. Many of these parks are already operating at peak visitation within communities that have ample lodging, golf courses, and pickleball courts.”

“Florida has no shortage of places to swing a golf club, sample the continental breakfast, or try your hand at pickleball—but increasingly rare are the opportunities to spot the deep blue feathers of a Florida Scrub-Jay, witness the miracle of neotropical bird migration, or experience Florida in all its natural beauty.”

The Sierra Club has announced a series of protests against the Great Outdoors Initiative. They will take place at Oleta River State Park in Miami-Dade County, Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa County.

Disney Wars Have Consequences

But it would be one thing if it was simply citizens and environmental groups protesting DeSantis’ plans to siphon recreational money away from Disney and Universal theme parks into the Great Outdoors Initiative. The Republican Party of Florida is now publicly opposing his plans, with numerous prominent state GOP members signing a letter against it.

The letter specifically criticizes the plans for Dickinson Park and calls the former plans to hold hour-long meetings about critical plans regarding public land “absolutely ridiculous.” It also says:

“The communities around Jonathan Dickinson State Park are owed a public comment meeting in good faith with members of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC). It is the ARC that will actually vote on whether golf courses and hotels will be built in our park, and the public deserves the ability to make their voice heard.”

U.S. senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, Florida senator Gayle Harrell, Florida Reps John Snyder and Toby Overdorf, and Martin County Commissioners Doug Smith, Stacey Hetherington, and Harold Jenkins all signed the letter. While this political rebellion may specifically concern the very touchy subject of state parks, it is telling that so many members of DeSantis’ own party were willing to take a stance against him.

Combined with DeSantis’ series of losses and half-measures after endorsing 23 school board candidates in local elections in his campaign to re-orient the public education system around conservative beliefs, it strongly indicates that DeSantis does not have the political clout that he once did.

Related: DeSantis Hands Disney Millions Meant for Education Spending

Some of that may have to do with his failed presidential run, it also may be connected to his year-long battle with The Walt Disney Company. While Disney may have become a target to many far-right conservative groups, it remains a cultural icon, one of the most powerful corporations in the world, and, due to the Walt Disney World Resort, an essential economic powerhouse in Florida.

Governor DeSantis took on Disney in the wake of former CEO Bob Chapek‘s public opposition to the anti-LGBTQIA+ Parental Rights in Education Act, dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the special tax area where most of Disney World is located. Disney had controlled the district for decades until it was replaced by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), which includes a supervising board directly appointed by the governor.

Disney and the CFTOD tussled for months over administrative control of the area, which eventually resulted in the Mouse House filing a First Amendment lawsuit against DeSantis, claiming unconstitutional political reprisal. Even more months of very public back-and-forth between DeSantis and Disney eventually resulted in the two signing a truce and agreeing to drop claims against each other, but the damage may have been done.

Ron DeSantis was once one of the most prominent emerging figures in the Republican Party, but the last year has taken its toll on him. Fighting with Disney has reduced his power in the state, and now Floridian residents and politicians alike are turning on him.

What do you think of Ron DeSantis’ chances for a political future?