Florida - Wednesday August 28, 2024: Governor DeSantis today said he never saw, or approved plans to build golf courses and other recreational facilities inside Dickinson State Park.
"We're not getting into the golf course business in the state of Florida," he said.
"They're going back to the drawing board," said the Governor, referring to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (FDEP) Acquisition and Restoration Council, a Department within FDEP. At a news conference in Stuart yesterday Treasure Coast Congressman Brian Mast said FDEP's Acquisition and Restoration Council had issued an RFP for the project.
"They're not doing anything this year," said DeSantis. "They're going to go back and basically listen to folks. A lot of that stuff was just half-baked, and it was not ready for prime time."
Without naming the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Governor went on to say that the proposal to construct recreational facilities in state parks was "intentionally leaked to a left wing group." The left wing group was not named either.
The Governor was responding to questions from reporters about the controversy following a briefing on public safety at the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Winter Haven.