WLRN has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team aims to present the facts without being influenced by agenda or bias.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has sought to distance himself from a controversial proposal to build golf courses and hotels in state parks, saying he did not approve the proposals before they were “leaked.”

“It’s not been approved by me, I’ve never seen it,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Winter Haven on Aug. 28. “They’re going back to the drawing board. … They’re not doing anything this year. They’re going back and basically listening to people. A lot of this stuff was half-baked and not ready for prime time. And it was deliberately leaked to a left-wing group to try to create a narrative.”

The proposal for some state parks has sparked outrage among residents, with DeSantis making it appear that the “half-baked” plan was leaked before it was ready. But the department’s public implementation effort suggests it’s a proposal in its final stages.

READ MORE: Florida ‘whistleblower’ says he was fired for leaking plans to build golf courses in state parks

The state posted its full plans on a government website, along with an announcement of simultaneous public meetings across Florida within days. Officials in the governor’s office initially supported the plan, and state officials created a series of social media graphics praising it.

The Tampa Bay Times broke the news of the state park plans on Aug. 20, with some details leaked to the outlet a few days earlier. But by the time the news broke, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had already issued a press release and scheduled public meetings.

The 2024-25 “Great Outdoors Initiative” will “expand public access, increase outdoor activities and offer new accommodation options,” the department said in an Aug. 19 press release.

The next day, the ministry uploaded the proposals for the nine parks to its website.

Proposed plans included building golf courses, pickleball courts, disc golf courses, and hotels at the parks. Multiple golf courses were planned for Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, and 350-room hotels were proposed for Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine and TopSail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach.

The Florida Department of State sent out a notice on Aug. 20 announcing plans to hold public meetings on Aug. 27 about the proposed plans statewide. The department announced the initiative on its website social media The calculations are starting August 19th.

News of the proposed plans was condemned by both Republican and Democratic politicians and sparked protests across the state.

The department canceled public meetings and pulled plans for golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

READ MORE: DeSantis blames ‘left-wing group’ for stirring controversy over state park plans

The Tampa Bay Times reported first on Aug. 20 and published a series of follow-up reports. The newspaper reported first that it had obtained copies of leaked documents detailing the proposed plans and wrote that the leaked documents had circulated more widely and sparked discussion on social media.

DeSantis’ remarks at his Aug. 28 press conference reversed his administration’s initial defense of the initiative in a statement to the Times on Aug. 22.

“Teddy Roosevelt believed that public parks were for the benefit and enjoyment of the public, and we agree with him,” spokesman Jeremy Redfern told the newspaper. “No administration has done more to protect Florida’s natural resources, grow conservation areas and keep our environment pristine. But it’s time we made public lands more accessible to the public.”

“The governor’s comments speak for themselves,” Redfern said Aug. 29 in response to PolitiFact’s questions about DeSantis’s statement that the proposals were not approved and were leaked.

The governor appoints the secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The agency’s statewide initiatives are generally reviewed and approved by the governor’s office before being released to the public.

Richard McNeil

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Wikimedia Commons

Eric Draper, who served as Florida state parks director from 2017 to 2021, said the secretary of the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation often has direct conversations with the governor’s office. Sometimes it’s also with the governor’s environmental affairs policy chief or chief of staff, he said.

“In both cases, these initiatives are driven by the governor’s office, if not initiated by the governor’s office,” Draper said. “The department does nothing in terms of the initiatives without some direction from them.”

PolitiFact reached out to the organization regarding its correspondence with the governor’s office but did not receive a response via publication.

Our verdict

DeSantis said the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to put golf courses and hotels in Florida state parks was “something that has been leaked…a lot of it is half-baked and not ready for prime time.”

DeSantis’ comments create the impression that the proposed plan to repurpose state parklands was initially just an idea on the board and leaked prematurely.

But the effort to build golf courses, pickleball courts, disc golf courses, hotels and more in Florida state parks wasn’t just an undeveloped idea. Plans, documents and public meetings were planned simultaneously across the state.

It came to public attention as a plan in its final stages, first publicized by the Tampa Bay Times and later adopted and supported by an agency DeSantis oversees as governor. The Times received tips for its reporting but did not report on the leaked documents until after the state announced the initiative was imminent.

DeSantis’ statement contains some truth, but omits critical facts that would create a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.

Our Resources

• YouTube, Press conference: Governor DeSantis Highlights Florida’s Law and Order Priorities (August 28, 2024)August 28, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, DEP Announces 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative to Increase Public Access, Recreation and Accommodations at Florida State ParksAugust 19, 2024
• X, Florida DEP NewsAccessed 29 August 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Public Participation – Draft Unit Management PlansAccessed 29 August 2024
• Tampa Bay Times, Are changes coming to Florida’s state park system?August 20, 2024
• Tampa Bay Times, DeSantis administration wants to put golf courses, pickleball courts and more in Florida state parksAugust 21, 2024
• Tampa Bay Times, Political opposition grows over Florida’s plan to build golf courses in state parksAugust 22, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Jonathan Dickinson State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Anastasia State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Grayton Beach State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Hillsborough River State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Honeymoon Island State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024. August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Oleta River State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Camp Helen State Park Draft UMP Amendment 2024August 20, 2024
• Palm Beach Post, DeSantis downplays anger over state park golf courses plan; it’s part of ‘left wing’ narrativeAugust 28, 2024
• Florida Politics, Florida Cabinet members concerned over state park development planAugust 22, 2024
• Florida Phoenix, DeSantis wants to build golf courses and hotels in Florida state parksAugust 22, 2024
• ABC News, DeSantis’ plan to improve state parks hits snag as golf course backer pulls outAugust 26, 2024
• Email interview, Jeremy Redferm, spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, Aug. 29, 2024
• Phone interview, Eric Draper, former Florida State Parks director, August 29, 2024

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