‘Irreversible damage’: Northeast Florida leaders speak out against Anastasia State Park development plans

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Northeast Florida leaders took a stand Wednesday against plans to develop Anastasia State Park and eight other state parks around Florida.

The response has been overwhelming since the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FLDEP) announced the proposed changes last week, prompting protests, online petitions and a letter-writing campaign.

People don’t agree on much these days, but opposition to the state parks development plan spans party lines.

MORE: Gov. DeSantis says Florida state parks development plans not approved by him, FDEP will go ‘back to the drawing board’

READ: Conceptual plans for Anastasia State Park

Almost a dozen state leaders, including state lawmakers and several mayors, publicly opposed the “Great Outdoors Initiative” at a news conference on Wednesday with the state park as their backdrop.

They said they have not directly heard from the governor on his stance and they want to know how he feels about this. We have also reached out to his office for comment about this.

There has been a public outcry since FLDEP revealed plans to develop a 350-room lodge, disc golf course, pickleball courts, and more at the park.

The leaders at Wednesday’s news conference said it would be grossly inappropriate to make those changes to Anastasia State Parks because they would not allow the park’s nature and wildlife to be preserved and vulnerable land subject to erosion would not be protected.

“I do not see anything good to come out of it. I don’t see anything good for the state of Florida. I do not see anything good for my grandchildren or great grandchildren. Nothing.” said 78 year old Jimmy Wilcox.

“The proposed hotel threatens more than just our landscape. Anastasia State Park is a cherished haven that supports diverse wildlife and provides vital recreation space,” St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell. “A project of this scale could be a strain on our local resources, potentially causing irreversible damage.”

Rumrell and Florida Rep. Cyndi Stevenson said future action can include going through regulations for permitting to stop the proposed plan and possibly even lawsuits.

They said they were blindsided by the governor and FLDEP’s “Great Outdoors Initiative.”

“This is a wake-up call. There needs to be additional legislation ultimately. Sometimes that means constitutional amendments,” Stevenson said.

Jacksonville City Councilman Rory Diamond said he is filing a resolution that publicly opposes the proposed changes. He said several other jurisdictions plan to do the same thing, including all of the beaches, St. Augustine and the St. Johns County Commission.

St. Johns County Commissioner Chair Sarah Arnold expressed her concern as well.

“This is an egregious overreach by the state government a plan that sought no local input whatsoever,” she said.

Protesters at the public beach access near the news conference held signs and could be heard chanting “Save Our Parks.”

“Just to be here and supported by everyone is so emotion-evoking. We want our wildlife to stay where it is at,” organizer Desiree Sanders said.

“This is our land. This is not out there for political gain. This is not out there to be developed. Leave it for the people,” protestor LeighAnn Koch said.

RELATED: ‘Construction and destruction’: More than 100 protesters voice opposition to proposed changes at Anastasia State Park | Proposed lodge, pickleball courts at Anastasia State Park spark community outrage amid ‘Great Outdoors’ initiative

Hundreds showed up outside the park on Sunday holding signs to say they are not on board with these changes.

And on Monday, dozens took part in a letter-writing and sign-making campaign to flood the mailboxes of state leaders in Tallahassee.

The opposition has been so strong that the state postponed public hearings on the proposed changes that were supposed to happen on Tuesday.

Those meetings are, for now, set for next week, but the state is still looking for a large enough venue.

The St. Johns County Commissioners put out a statement saying they were never contacted and the project is contrary to the county board’s vision.

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.”

FLDEP also made comparisons to other parks with lodges like the much larger Zion National Park in Utah and Yosemite National Park in California.

News4JAX reached out to the FLDEP this week and asked:

1. If the plan were to move forward how would the state decide who would construct the hotel?
2. How long were these proposals worked on before they were put out to the public last week?
3. Where and who would generated revenue go to if the new plans on the park were to go through?

We were never answered.

Next week, everyone will have the chance to have their voices heard in a public meeting in downtown St. Augustine.