Growth resembling golf programs, pickleball courts and luxurious lodges can be prohibited at Florida state parks beneath laws handed Wednesday by the state Home following a public outcry in opposition to such tasks that have been pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
The vote was 115-0 for the measure, which now goes to the Senate, the place the same invoice is transferring by committees. Supporters mentioned loud public response and protests final 12 months in opposition to what DeSantis known as the Nice Outdoor Initiative was a key issue within the governor’s subsequent determination to shelve it.
The laws, supporters mentioned, will ensue it doesn’t occur once more.
“The general public outcry, you possibly can most likely hear all of it the way in which as much as the moon or Mars,” mentioned Rep. Lindsay Cross, a Democrat from St. Petersburg who attended some protests. The invoice, she added, will “be certain our wild Florida stays wild.”
The invoice doesn’t ban all sorts of improvement. However it requires that any tasks be “conservation-based leisure makes use of” that help issues like mountaineering, swimming, horseback using, boating, nature examine and different comparable actions, in line with a Home workers evaluation.
“Any use or building exercise should be carried out in a fashion that avoids impacts to a state park’s crucial habitat and pure and historic assets,” the evaluation provides.
The Republican governor’s Division of Environmental Safety unveiled the event plans in August for 9 state parks and scheduled solely a single hour of public hearings earlier than transferring the tasks ahead. A whole bunch of individuals attended protests on the parks and in Tallahassee, many carried indicators with slogans resembling “Save Don’t Pave” and “Parks Over Revenue.”
The Home model should be reconciled with the Senate model, which differs in a number of methods, together with what environmental teams name a loophole that might open the door to golf programs and different improvement in some areas of parks.
“The environmentalists are saying they want the language to be a bit of tighter,” mentioned the principle Senate sponsor, Republican Gayle Harrell, who famous time is operating brief to cross the invoice earlier than the Legislature’s scheduled Might 2 adjournment.
Nonetheless, Harrell’s invoice has cleared two Senate committees unanimously to this point. It isn’t clear the place DeSantis stands on the laws, however the payments each have broad bipartisan help.
“Our state parks are treasured,” Democratic Rep. Allison Tant mentioned. “We’ve our state parks that symbolize the true Florida.”
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