(Don't) pave paradise

In Florida, the public is done with over-development

DeSantis’s Department of Environmental Protection wants to build three golf courses within Jonathan Dickinson State Park / Photo by Ricky

“The 2024-25 Great Outdoor Initiative”: that’s a nice-sounding name. But that’s always the trick.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s summary sounds nice too. The point of this program is “to expand public access” to the state’s parks, according to a press release. But the same release offers two further goals, both a bit trickier: The DEP wants to “increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options.”