TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has quietly signed into law a sweeping bipartisan measure that permanently protects the state’s 175 parks from commercial development, including proposals for golf courses, luxury lodges, and recreational courts such as tennis and pickleball.
The approval, listed on a legislative website with a timestamp of 4:43 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, came without a public signing ceremony or immediate comment from the governor’s office. The move marks the culmination of nearly a year of controversy over a previously proposed initiative by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to commercialize state parks with upscale amenities.
That initiative, dubbed the Great Outdoors Initiative, had sparked fierce public backlash when it targeted parks like Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County, Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, and Topsail Hill Preserve in Walton County. Critics condemned the plan as an effort to “pave over paradise,” prompting DeSantis to eventually abandon it, calling it “half-baked” and “not ready for prime time.”
In an unusual political twist, two Republican lawmakers from Stuart—Sen. Gayle Harrell and Rep. John Snyder—took the lead in drafting and championing the legislation, titled the State Parks Preservation Act (HB 209). The bill was co-sponsored by 48 legislators from both parties, representing nearly a third of the Florida Legislature, and passed unanimously in both chambers.
The new law mandates that park management by the DEP prioritize passive recreational activities that preserve the natural character of the land, such as hiking. It also requires robust public transparency, including public hearings and online access to park management plans, which must be updated every decade. Any revisions to those plans must go through two public hearings, ensuring continuous public oversight.
“This is democracy at work. The voices of the people have been heard,” said Sen. Harrell in a written statement following the bill’s passage.
Environmental organizations also praised the legislation. Audubon Florida, which helped establish Florida’s first state park in 1916, supported the bill, calling it a landmark in state conservation policy. Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, another co-sponsor, lauded the measure as “one of the most monumental environmental laws Florida has ever passed,” emphasizing that the state’s parks are “not for sale.”
As part of the legislation, lawmakers also honored the late Ney Landrum—director of Florida State Parks from 1970 to 1989—by renaming the St. Marks River Preserve State Park in Leon and Jefferson counties as Ney Landrum State Park. Landrum passed away in 2017 and is remembered for his enduring contributions to the state’s park system.
The State Parks Preservation Act represents a significant reversal for the DeSantis administration, which initially promoted the controversial development initiative. The overwhelming bipartisan support for the new law signals a broad consensus among lawmakers to keep Florida’s natural heritage shielded from commercial interests.