St. Augustine community gathers to write letters, organize against proposed plans for Anastasia State Park

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Members of the St. Augustine community aren’t giving up their fight against proposed plans to change the landscape of Anastasia State Park.

On Monday afternoon, a group held a “Letter Writing Party” to write letters, create posters and continue to organize against changes that would affect nine parks across Florida.

Sam Snyder, co-owner of Spinster Abotts, wanted to give people a space to express their thoughts. He also has an annual pass to the state parks and visits Anastasia State Park frequently.

“It’s crazy. Pickleball. Why? I get that it’s popular, but we don’t need pickleball courts in a state park, but the hotel -- it’s not a lodge -- it’s a hotel. It’s just, it’s obscene, and it’s egregious,” Snyder said.

READ: Conceptual plans for Anastasia State Park

The State of Florida wants to bring lodges of up to 350 rooms, pickleball courts, disc golf courses and golf courses to the nine parks around the state under the proposed “Great Outdoors Initiative.”

Michelle Dillon attended Monday night’s letter-writing and sign-making party at Spinster Abbott’s. She was concerned about the proposal to develop state parks, especially how that plan was rolled out.

“The way it was rolled out smacks of secrecy and just hiding behind closed doors and not engaging the public, because this is a very important issue. Our state parks are perfect the way they are. Of course, they need continued support, but what they don’t need is over development, over tourism. They need to be left as the pristine, beautiful spaces that they are,” Dillon said.

Protesters met at a rally Sunday that drew hundreds of community members to voice their opposition to the changes.

Eight public meetings were initially scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the proposal, but the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Friday it would push them back “due to the overwhelming interest” in the “Great Outdoors Initiative.”

Snyder said the community outcry over developing state parks isn’t a classic environmental issue fight. He shared what he would say to state officials about this proposal:

“I think if you’ve made everybody in the state mad, you’re probably in the wrong,” Snyder said. “These parks represent what real Florida is. It’s this, these historical landscapes, these diverse little eco regions, and these should be protected, because my kids love to go there. I want their kids to be able to go there.”

News4JAX reached out to the Department of Environmental Protection (FLDEP) to get to the bottom of who is behind the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” but so far there are more questions than answers.

In a social media post on Friday, FLDEP appeared to defend the plan for Anastasia State Park, saying building a new park lodge “will provide a new community space, and offer an opportunity to rehabilitate a borrow pit left over from a former road construction project before the park was acquired.”