DeSantis Admin Proposes Pickleball Courts, Golf Courses, and Hotels in State Parks & Voters Reject DeSantis-Backed School Board Candidates
August 29, 2024 — This Week's Top Stories in Florida
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DeSantis Admin Proposes Pickleball Courts, Golf Courses, and Hotels in State Parks
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (FDEP) recently announced "Great Outdoors Initiative" has sparked controversy over plans to significantly expand development in nine state parks across Florida. The initiative aims to boost the state's outdoor recreation economy by increasing public access to parks, adding new outdoor amenities like golf courses and pickleball courts, and expanding lodging options for visitors. However, the DeSantis administration's proposal has faced bipartisan opposition from residents, environmentalists, state politicians, members of Congress, and even members of the governor's own cabinet. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott joined the growing list of those condemning the plans to develop several state parks, issuing a sharp letter to Gov. DeSantis criticizing the limited opportunities for public input on the plans. Opponents argue it threatens the natural tranquility of the parks and harms conservation efforts in sensitive environments. The nine parks targeted for development stretch from Miami-Dade County to the Panhandle. At Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin – one of Florida’s most visited – plans call for the addition of several pickleball courts on 7,200 square feet of land adjacent to beach access. Hillsborough River State Park would also see the construction of pickleball courts and a disc golf course on several acres of undeveloped land. The plans for Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County include construction of three golf courses in the park, and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County would feature a 350-room lodge under another proposal. Eight public meetings to discuss the initiative, originally scheduled for late August, have been postponed to the first week of September due to overwhelming interest and criticism. The DeSantis administration has defended the development proposals, saying the move would increase accessibility and enjoyment of public lands with greater recreational opportunities amid increased demand. As backlash continues to mount, including from allies within the governor’s own party, FDEP says construction would be conducted in a manner to “minimize habitat impacts.” Following the public hearings, the proposals would have to be approved by the Acquisition and Restoration Council, a 10-member group of representatives from four state agencies.
RELATED: Golf Course Plan for Jonathan Dickinson State Park Withdrawn
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced that the proposal to build golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park has been withdrawn. The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, the group behind the plan, decided to pull the project from agency review after receiving feedback that the state park was not a suitable location. The foundation, linked to the national veterans charity Folds of Honor, had aimed to create a public golf course benefiting veterans and first responders. Local opposition and concerns over the park's preservation led to the project’s cancellation. The project's removal from agency review marks a victory for preservation efforts, but the department's plans to add hotels, pickleball courts, and more to eight other state parks remain unchanged for now.
Florida Voters Reject DeSantis-Backed School Board Candidates
In last Tuesday’s primary elections, Governor Ron DeSantis faced challenges as many of his endorsed school board candidates struggled. Out of 23 candidates he supported, 11 lost, and six others are headed to runoffs. The Tampa Bay region, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties, saw several incumbents targeted by Gov. DeSantis easily winning reelection, with his chosen candidates failing to flip local school boards The pushback against the governor's culture war agenda extended beyond races he directly influenced, with candidates associated with the controversial conservative group Moms for Liberty also facing defeats in several districts. Groups backing the DeSantis-backed list of candidates spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote those they preferred and marring contenders they opposed. Along with the governor, they labeled these candidates as too progressive, socialists, and even pedophiles imposing radical agendas and wanting to put a halt to censoring books with themes of sexuality. Despite the setbacks, there were some successes. In Duval County, two out of three DeSantis-supported candidates won, flipping the school board's ideological makeup; in Lee County, two of three receiving endorsements also secured victories. A spokesperson for the governor spun the results by expressing optimism, viewing the election as a step forward in advancing the governor's broader educational goals in “tough races.” Meanwhile, DeSantis attributed the underperformance of his endorsed school board candidates to his preoccupation with fundraising efforts for former President Donald Trump, which left limited resources to dedicate to those local campaigns.The governor’s involvement in these races builds upon his continuing push to combat so-called “wokeness” in education and give parents greater freedom and control over their children’s academic outcomes. This included a then-unprecedented move by a Florida governor in 2022 when he sought to use his influence to sway numerous school board races through a series of endorsements. The recent primary election demonstrated a growing partisan trend in school board races, even though they are currently nonpartisan. This trend could become even more pronounced if Florida voters approve a referendum in November that would make school board elections partisan and require candidates to publicly disclose their political party affiliations.
DeSantis Reasserts Influence on Education, Appoints Ally to State Education Board Despite Local Loss
In the wake of significant losses by his endorsed school board candidates across Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis moved to reaffirm his influence over state education by appointing a trusted ally to the State Board of Education. Just days after Daniel Foganholi suffered a decisive defeat in his bid for a Broward County School Board seat, DeSantis named him to a position with oversight of the state’s K-12 education system. Foganholi, previously appointed twice to the Broward board, garnered only 20% of the vote in last Tuesday's primary. His new role, effective November 20, underscores DeSantis’ determination to reassert his authority in the wake of recent electoral setbacks. This appointment highlights the governor's strategy of surrounding himself with allies who share his views on education, even when they lack popular electoral support. Foganholi’s selection follows a similar move by DeSantis, who previously appointed another unsuccessful Broward candidate, Ryan Petty, to the same board. The State Board of Education is entirely composed of DeSantis appointees, allowing the governor to maintain firm control over Florida’s education system.
Corporate Investors Buy Up Florida Homes, Sparking Concerns
Over 117,000 single-family homes in Florida are now owned by corporate investors, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis. In the Tampa Bay area, 27,000 homes are corporate-owned, contributing to rising rents, higher sales costs, more evictions, and a trend of declining property maintenance. Institutional investors linked to Wall Street and private equity companies have seized on the state’s population growth, limited local control, and minimal renter protections, purchasing large numbers of homes in neighborhoods and subdivisions across Florida. Invitation Homes, the largest owner of single-family rental homes in the U.S., ranks No. 1 among investment firms in Florida with the most homes in ownership at more than 25,000. Progress Residential and FirstKey Homes follow behind at 19,409 and 10,491, respectively, according to Tampa Bay Times data. Corporate investors heavily expanded their portfolios in the Sunshine State during the 2008 housing crash and the COVID-19 pandemic, snapping up homes in rapidly growing areas like Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, and Orlando. Investor buying peaked in 2021, amounting to as much as 14% of home purchases in Duval County, and in several metro areas, entire suburban communities are rented by firms. As corporations now own more than 10% of single-family rentals in the state – five times the national average – they have also gained control of homeowners association boards in some communities, installing their own out-of-state employees onto boards. Residents are concerned about the effects on property values and neighborhood character, with some fearing that companies could alter bylaws or even dissolve the HOA. Investors have even locked in on majority-minority neighborhoods that maintain below-average household incomes and lower home sales prices, such as Orlando’s Pine Hills or St. Petersburg’s south side neighborhoods. Investor purchases here are triple the rate in other parts of the county. Similarly, in Duval County, the Times found that there are more investor-owned homes in low-income Black-majority neighborhoods than elsewhere.
The Villages Retirement Community Becomes Hotspot for Young Families
The Villages, known as one of the world's largest retirement communities with the oldest median age in the U.S., has also become the fastest-growing metro area for children aged 14 and younger this decade. The Wildwood-The Villages metro area in central Florida has seen an 18.4% increase in this age group, driven by a 19.1% rise in the working-age population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. This growth is due to the influx of young workers providing services to the expanding retirement community, which has grown from a rural enclave to a bustling hub with over 151,500 residents – an increase of more than 16% since 2020. However, the area’s demographics pose challenges for young families, such as limited access to pediatric care and family-friendly amenities. Many young families live outside The Villages in nearby communities like Wildwood, where housing and facilities are not restricted to those 55 or older. In response, The Villages has developed Middleton, a residential area for employees and their families, addressing the needs of this growing population.
Florida Tourism Website Removes LGBTQ+ Travel Section
In a move seen as an attempt to exclude the LGBTQ+ community, Florida's tourism marketing agency, Visit Florida, has quietly removed the "LGBTQ Travel" section from its website. The disappearance of this travel information comes amid broader efforts by state officials, including Governor Ron DeSantis, to implement policies seen as hostile to the LGBTQ+ community. These include laws restricting classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, bans on gender-affirming care for minors, and regulations on drag shows. Business owners who cater to LGBTQ+ tourists say the move makes it harder to promote tourism in the state and undermines the state's reputation as a welcoming and inclusive destination. Critics argue that this action further contributes to the marginalization of the LGBTQ+ community and complicates efforts to promote destinations like Key West and Fort Lauderdale, which have long been popular with LGBTQ+ tourists.
Florida Supreme Court Approves Revised Abortion Amendment Statement
The Florida Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a revised financial impact statement for a proposed abortion rights amendment, despite supporters' claims of politicization and misleading information. The statement, which estimates the amendment's effect on government revenues and the state budget, will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 4. The controversy began after House Speaker Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner directed the Financial Impact Estimating Conference to revise the original statement, following a circuit judge’s ruling that it needed rewriting. Despite objections from the amendment’s backers, who claim the process was manipulated, the court ruled 6-1 in favor of allowing the revised statement on the November ballot. The decision denies a request by plaintiffs to force another financial impact statement to be drafted as Amendment 4’s supporters maintain that the revised language is intended to confuse voters.
Florida’s Homeschooling Boom
Over the past two decades, Florida has witnessed a significant surge in homeschooling, with the number of homeschooled students tripling since 2003. Between 2017 and 2022, homeschooling in Florida expanded nearly 70 times faster than public school enrollment, one of the highest rates nationally, as noted by a Washington Post analysis. Homeschooling has surged, particularly among rural, white, upper-middle-class families. Initially, conservative and Christian values were the driving force behind homeschooling, with religious instruction being the primary reason for many parents. By 2019, more than 80% of homeschooling parents cited religious and moral instruction as important, though academic concerns and safety became increasingly significant. The COVID-19 pandemic further fueled this trend, giving parents a closer look at public school curricula, which led some to homeschool due to concerns over values and safety. While the reasons families choose to homeschool their children vary, it generally involves control of their children’s values, aligning with parents’ political, cultural, or religious ideologies, and keeping curriculum that may be viewed as personally “incompatible” away from their kids. Other reasons cited include preserving childhood innocence, instilling a moral foundation, public safety concerns and threats, and shielding their children from bullying and social pressures. Tampa Bay has become a stronghold for homeschooling, with nearly 20,000 students in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties alone. As the perception of public education has taken a progressive shift, more families are reevaluating their values and choosing homeschooling as an alternative.
Florida Moves to Clarify Voting Eligibility for Felons
Florida is taking steps to provide clearer guidance on voting eligibility for individuals with felony convictions. A proposed rule released by the state Division of Elections follows a federal lawsuit related to the 2018 constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to those who have completed their sentences. The state has introduced a simplified one-page form for felons to request advisory opinions from state attorneys on their eligibility to vote. The proposed guidance outlines a timeline requiring state officials to verify the form's completeness within two weeks and notify the applicant of any deficiencies within 14 days. The state would then be required to provide a response within 90 days. The process aims to address confusion stemming from a 2019 law that requires felons to complete “all terms of their sentence including parole or probation” before regaining voting rights. This includes paying all “legal financial obligations” that may be outstanding. Critics argue this law created barriers to voting, leading to arrests of individuals who believed they were eligible. The proposed rule’s timelines for processing requests and responding to inquiries are welcomed by advocates like the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, who sued the state in federal court over the bureaucratic maze felons were forced to navigate to ascertain their eligibility to vote. The changes may not be finalized before the October 7 voter registration deadline for November’s general election.
Pasco County’s Water Shortage Hinders Development
A severe lack of water availability is stifling development plans in East Pasco, with county commissioners recently delaying a 40-home project near Dade City due to utility constraints. The lack of water and sewer infrastructure in this area of the county forced the developer to dramatically scale back their original development plans for 176 homes across 30 acres. The region's rapid growth has outpaced its water infrastructure, prompting a search for new well sites to meet the increasing demand. The City of Zephyrhills recently extended its yearlong moratorium on new projects, and Dade City has had to slow down development due to similar water and sewer limitations. Tampa Bay Water, the regional water supply wholesaler, is seeking input on a plan to develop a new well field in east Pasco, which could yield 9 million gallons per day. However, the utility estimates that the region will need an additional 25 million gallons of drinking water per day by 2043. In addition to concerns about water supply shortages amid rising demand, many east Pasco residents have voiced opposition to development on or near the rural protection zone, which has been slipping away through land-use changes approved to make room for more housing.
Hillsborough County Hikes Garbage Fees
Hillsborough County residents will face a $40 increase in annual garbage collection fees in 2025 after commissioners voted 5-2 in favor of rising rates. The fee hike will raise the total yearly solid waste fee for a single-family home from $437 to $477, covering twice-weekly garbage pickup, weekly recycling, yard waste collection, and the operation of various solid waste facilities, including a waste-to-energy plant and hazardous waste centers. Early this month, county commissioners postponed discussions on raising residential trash pickup rates due to concerns over the financial impact on residents, particularly during challenging economic times. The delay sought to explore potential alternatives. The fee change applies to residents in unincorporated Hillsborough County and parts of New Tampa and Tampa Palms.
Hunters Descend on Everglades to Tackle Invasive Python Problem
The annual Florida Python Challenge concluded last week, drawing over 857 hunters to the Everglades to combat the invasive Burmese python population that has wreaked havoc on the region's ecosystem. With $30,000 in prizes to be handed out, participants from across the country and even Canada competed to humanely kill as many pythons as possible across designated areas of the Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area. As the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) continues to review and verify final numbers from this year’s contest, prizes will be eventually awarded for the most catches, longest python, and other categories. The goal of the annual hunt is to raise awareness about the environmental impact of invasive species and engage the public in Everglades conservation. Last year's challenge yielded 209 catches, with more than 11,000 pythons removed by state-hired contractors since 2017, including 2,200 in 2023. However, some critics argue the 10-day challenge may do more harm than good, potentially disrupting the natural habitat, scaring off pythons, and instead, accidentally misidentifying and killing native snakes.
Busch Gardens' Oldest Rollercoaster, Scorpion, to Close
After 44 years of thrilling rides, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's oldest roller coaster, Scorpion, will close on September 2, marking the end of an era for the park. The steel coaster, which debuted in 1980, was the park’s second major ride following Python, which closed in 2006. The park announced the closure on social media, stating it "paves the way for future thrills." As the last stationary coaster of its kind in the world, Scorpion offered a distinctive 90-second ride featuring a 60-foot climb, a 40-foot vertical loop, and speeds of up to 41 miles per hour.
Tampa Mourns Loss of Ybor City's Last Direct Descendant
Rafael Martinez-Ybor, the last direct descendant of Ybor City founder Vicente Martinez-Ybor, passed away last week at 95. For the past four decades, he dedicated his life to preserving his great-grandfather's legacy, educating the public about his great-grandfather, who established Ybor City as Tampa’s Latin and cigar industry hub nearly 140 years ago. Martinez-Ybor’s lineage transformed Tampa's Latin district and as a tireless advocate, Rafael ensured the storied cultural legacy was preserved. He led fundraising efforts for the Centro Ybor statue and helped establish the Ybor City Museum Society.
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