TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� State parks would be protected from pickleball courts, golf courses and hotel development under a bill passed unanimously by the on Thursday in response to last summer's statewide outcry over plans for these kinds of projects.
now heads to Gov. for final approval, and his office hasn't said if he'll sign it. The Republican governor distanced himself from the proposal following the backlash, saying he never saw or approved plans to allow resorts and sports facilities on state park land. DeSantis leads and appoints the heads of all state agencies.
The issue created a dilemma for who have traditionally defended the governor鈥檚 administration, and increased scrutiny of DeSantis' record on environmental conservation.
Protections for state parks are reflected 鈥渓oud and clear鈥� in the bill, said state Rep. John Snyder.
鈥淲e鈥檝e put real plans in place to make sure that, for generations to come, our state parks will be preserved,鈥� said Snyder, who represents a district about an hour north of Palm Beach. He noted the parks are enjoyed by millions of residents and tourists alike.
The bill doesn鈥檛 ban all types of development. But any projects must be 鈥渃onservation-based recreational uses鈥� that support things like hiking, swimming, horseback riding, boating, studying nature and other similar activities, according to a House staff analysis.
Snyder said the bill's language was strengthened by an amendment proposed in the Senate, which also added a name change for a state park in Tallahassee.
The public first got wind that DeSantis' environmental agency was looking for recreational development plans in state parks when the was leaked last August. Hundreds of at parks and the state's environmental protection headquarters, waving signs like 鈥淧arks Over Profit鈥� and 鈥淪ave Don鈥檛 Pave.鈥�
Before the month was over, the governor said the Department of Environmental Protection鈥檚 plans were 鈥済oing back to the drawing board.鈥�
The environment secretary at the time, , eventually stepped down after facing intensified scrutiny and bipartisan criticism of the initiative. In November, DeSantis appointed a new head of the agency, Alexis Lambert.
Stephany Matat, The Associated Press
