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You did it!
Just a day after huge crowds of Floridians flocked to rallies around the state demanding Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida DEP scrap a controversial plan to develop our state parks, DeSantis told the DEP to rework the so-called “Great Outdoors Initiative.”
The initiative involved plans to build golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County and 350-room hotels at Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Santa Rosa Beach. Pickleball courts and disc golf courses would have been built elsewhere. The proposals would have had massive impacts on water resources and wildlife habitat.
But you weren’t having it.
You gathered in person and online to denounce the proposal, made signs, signed petitions, called or emailed the Governor to demand he pull the plug. And at a press conference Wednesday he said he had never approved the plan, which he said was "not ready for prime time" and would be put on hold.
But it may only be temporary. Early news reports indicate DeSantis “is seeking more public input on the project before moving forward, planning to restart the public hearing process sometime next year.”
So what’s to say DeSantis or the FDEP won’t try to push something similar through when the process begins anew?
Rest assured, if they do — VoteWater will be there.
From the beginning of this debacle, we worked closely with other conservation groups to push back hard. Our social media pages blew up; VoteWater Executive Director Gil Smart was quoted in the media and spoke at a Stuart rally opposing the parks plan on Aug 27 (that's Gil in the photo, above).
Florida’s water and wild places matter to us, as we know it matters to you — and we are proud to be part of the broad coalition that derailed this disastrous proposal.
For continued updates, be sure to follow VoteWater’s social media feeds on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
And please consider donating to VoteWater. Our ability to respond to threats like this depends on your support; the more support we have, the harder we can fight back — and the better the chance we can prevail.
Thanks for your support, and your advocacy. We the people spoke, and the people in power listened.
And that’s a trend that needs to continue.
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