I recall a conversation several years ago with a woman who had reserved an upscale cabin at Lake Louisa State Park. She lamented that although she enjoyed the accommodations, there was nothing to do there.
My initial reaction was to wonder why on earth someone would book accommodations in a state park who was not interested in taking a hike through the woods, observing diverse wildlife or simple sitting on the porch and enjoying the morning or evening chorus of bird song.
Well, according to reports this week, the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration has come up with a solution to this problem.
That would involve clearing messy wildlife habitat in several state parks to make way for golf courses and pickleball courts.
I am not making this up.
Some of this mirrors a short-lived attempt by former Gov. Rick Scott several years ago to do the same thing, though not as ambitiously. He also wanted to try to sell off some wildlife management areas., which did not go anywhere, either.
Naturally, this latest idea has aroused Florida’s environmental community., including Florida Sierra.
The issue is just what kind of activities ought to be part of the state park experience and what kinds of activities are more appropriate in a city or county park. Golf courses, which demand extensive space and require a lot of water, herbicides and generally high-input maintenance stand out as an example of what really does not fit in state parks.
It is unclear whether it would even be a revenue producer as article after article describes the decline of interest in golf courses as generational recreational, preferences have changed.
Pickleball courts, which have generated noise complaints where they exist in the suburbs, would seem to be more out of place in a state park.
Election season is a good time to let your elected representatives know what you feel about this unexpected mission shift.
Let’s shut this bad idea down before it goes any farther.