{"id":2332943,"date":"2024-08-28T19:51:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T23:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-desantis-moves-plan-back-to-the-drawing-board-after-eight-days-of-outrage\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T20:00:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T00:00:18","slug":"gov-desantis-moves-plan-back-to-the-drawing-board-after-eight-days-of-outrage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-desantis-moves-plan-back-to-the-drawing-board-after-eight-days-of-outrage\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov. DeSantis Moves Plan &#8216;Back to the Drawing Board&#8217; After Eight Days of Outrage"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgov-desantis-moves-plan-back-to-the-drawing-board-after-eight-days-of-outrage%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332943&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Florida Governor\u200c Ron \u200bDeSantis announced that his administration&#8217;s\u2062 controversial\u200b proposal to \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tiger-woods-headlines-induction-class-at-world-golf-hall-of-fame%ef%bf%bc\/\" title=\"Tiger Woods Headlines Induction Class at World Golf Hall of Fame\ufffc\">develop golf courses<\/a>, pickleball courts, and hotels in state parks will be reconsidered \u200cfollowing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-chrissy-teigen-losing-sleep-may-ditch-l-a-amid-bullying-controversy\/\" title=\"Report: Chrissy Teigen \u2018Losing Sleep,\u2019 May Ditch L.A. Amid Bullying Controversy\">significant public backlash<\/a>. The initiative, known as \u200cthe &#8220;Great Outdoors Initiative,&#8221; was met with protests and bipartisan opposition, including from Republican Senators \u200dMarco Rubio and \u200bRick Scott. Initially backed by his \u2062Department of \u2064Environmental Protection, the\u200c plan \u200dfaced \u200cscrutiny for its\u200d lack of public engagement and transparency, prompting DeSantis to state that he had not approved\u2062 these developments \u2064and deemed them &#8220;half-baked.&#8221; As a result, plans for golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson State Park were scrapped, and public hearings scheduled for the affected parks were postponed. \u200cAdvocates \u2063for\u200c preserving the natural \u2064integrity of Florida&#8217;s\u2063 parks\u200b have expressed relief at the governor&#8217;s decision to pause the initiative, which they believe\u200c threatens the state&#8217;s natural resources. The political\u200b fallout underscores\u2062 a growing consensus among Floridians across \u2062party\u2064 lines\u200b regarding the protection of state parks as essential wild spaces.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that a controversial proposal by his administration to develop golf courses, pickleball courts and hotels at state parks is &ldquo;going back to the drawing board.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Questioned by reporters Wednesday, DeSantis worked to distance himself from the plan, which prompted hundreds of protesters to gather at the parks and sparked rare bipartisan opposition, including from Florida&rsquo;s Republican U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/strong-turnout-in-frances-high-stakes-elections-as-support-for-the-far-right-grows-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Strong turnout in France\u2019s high-stakes elections as support for the far right grows - Washington Examiner\">people don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t want improvements, then don&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; DeSantis said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re not doing anything this year. They&rsquo;re going to go back and basically listen to folks.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ron-desantis-exposes-tim-walzs-hypocrisy-calling-snitch-hotline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Republican governor<\/a>&rsquo;s Department of Environmental Protection unveiled the plans for the &ldquo;Great Outdoors Initiative&rdquo; last week and had planned a single hour of public hearings near the nine affected parks. Amid growing outcry, a golf course proposal at one park was abandoned, and the agency delayed hearings until at least next week &mdash; if they happen at all.<\/p>\n<p>The plan for golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in southeast Florida was scrapped even before the governor&rsquo;s statements Wednesday. The main proponent of the development, a nonprofit called Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, backed out of the plan over the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>DeSantis&rsquo; press secretary, Jeremy Redfern, had touted the developments at state parks as a needed effort to expand recreational opportunities in the state.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Teddy Roosevelt believed that public parks were for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and we agree with him. No administration has done more than we have to conserve Florida&rsquo;s natural resources, grow conservation lands, and keep our environment pristine,&rdquo; Redfern said in a statement to The Associated Press last week. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s high time we made public lands more accessible to the public.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But DeSantis, in breaking his public silence on the issue Wednesday, tried to distance himself from the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was not approved by me. I never saw that,&rdquo; DeSantis said. &ldquo;A lot of that stuff was just half-baked, and it was not ready for prime time.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Lindsay Cross, a St. Petersburg Democrat who spoke at one of the park plan protests, called for more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/boeing-staffers-humiliated-elon-musks-spacex-steps-save-stranded-astronauts-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transparency<\/a> on how the proposal came together &mdash; and who was driving the initiative.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While I appreciate that the governor has listened to the people and bipartisan elected officials in calling for a pause, I find it hard to believe that he had no knowledge of these plans. Our state agencies largely work under the direction of the executive branch. The governor needs to explain how this decision-making process occurs so we can avoid future desecration of our parks,&rdquo; Cross said.<\/p>\n<p>Opposition to the initiative has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/remembering-the-mother-emanuel-nine-eight-years-after-charleston-mass-shooting\/\" title=\"Honoring the Mother Emanuel Nine, 8 years later.\">transcended party lines<\/a> in a state often fiercely divided by partisan politics. Top Republican legislative leaders and members of Congress have been raising questions along with Democrats and environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the Cleo Institute.<\/p>\n<p>It appears a political line in the sand has been drawn around Florida&rsquo;s state parks, which advocates say are a bastion of wildness in a state where vast stretches of sugar-sand beaches and mangrove forests have long given way to condos, motels and strip mall souvenir shops.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are grateful that the Governor heard Floridians and their convictions that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/biden-caves-young-people-frontline-communities-halts-natural-gas-export-approvals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">natural resources<\/a> of state parks are top priority,&rdquo; said Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of protestors gathered at state parks and at Department of Environmental Protection headquarters in Tallahassee on Tuesday to voice their opposition to the plans. About 150 people gathered at a rally outside Honeymoon Island State Park along the central Gulf coast, where the plan envisions pickleball courts to be constructed near its unspoiled white sand beaches. Many demonstrators carried signs with slogans such as &ldquo;Save Don&rsquo;t Pave&rdquo; and &ldquo;Parks Over Profit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p>   <script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Wednesday that his administration&#8217;s contentious proposal to build golf courses, pickleball courts, and hotels in state parks is being reconsidered. During a press conference, DeSantis sought to distance himself from the initiative, which has drawn significant public backlash and bipartisan criticism from Florida&#8217;s Republican U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott. &#8220;If people don\u2019t want improvements, then don\u2019t do it,&#8221; he stated. &#8220;They\u2019re not doing anything this year. They\u2019re going to go back and basically listen to folks.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Last week, the governor\u2019s Department of Environmental Protection introduced the \u201cGreat Outdoors Initiative\u201d but faced immediate opposition that led to the cancellation of a proposed golf course at one park before DeSantis&#8217; comments on Wednesday. The agency also postponed public hearings regarding the plan until at least next week due to mounting protests.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis\u2019 press secretary had previously defended the development as a necessary expansion of recreational opportunities in Florida, echoing sentiments attributed to Teddy Roosevelt about public parks serving the enjoyment of citizens. However, in his remarks on Wednesday, DeSantis claimed he had not approved or seen these plans beforehand and described them as &#8220;half-baked&#8221; and unready for implementation.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Representative Lindsay Cross criticized this lack of transparency regarding how such proposals are developed within state agencies under executive direction. She expressed skepticism about DeSantis&#8217; claims of ignorance concerning these plans.<\/p>\n<p>Opposition has united various political factions against this initiative in a state often marked by partisan divides; both Republican leaders and environmental groups have raised concerns over potential developments threatening Florida\u2019s natural landscapes.<\/p>\n<p>Protests erupted across several state parks where demonstrators voiced their discontent with slogans like \u201cSave Don\u2019t Pave\u201d and \u201cParks Over Profit.\u201d Advocates for preserving natural resources expressed gratitude that Governor DeSantis acknowledged Floridians&#8217; priorities regarding their state&#8217;s parks amidst ongoing debates over land use<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2332944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/630bfa332eef4ab0be7b407468c6ca5a-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[39608,4980,5113,6955,32603],"class_list":["post-2332943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-back-to-the-drawing-board","tag-desantis","tag-florida","tag-outrage","tag-political-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/630bfa332eef4ab0be7b407468c6ca5a-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}