TALHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A bill aimed at protecting Florida’s state parks from overdevelopment was passed unanimously by the State Capitol on Wednesday.
The measure received widespread support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle with a 113-0 vote, according to a release from the office of Rep. Peggy Gossett Seidman.
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Gossett-Seidman was one of the sponsors who helped create House Building 209 in response to overwhelming public protests last summer and responded to leak plans to develop pickleball courts, golf courses and luxury lodges in some of the state’s most visited marks.
The news sparked protests statewide, with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) later retracting the proposal at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Lawmakers hope that House Bill 209 will prevent certain types of things from happening again by setting “common-sense” restrictions on certain commercial projects that could potentially threaten native wildlife and ecosystems.
This mission is also personal to Gossett Seidman, a Republican who represents the 19th district. She fondly recalls childhood memories of visiting Jonathan Dickinson State Park, one of nine parks under threat of overdevelopment.
“With my family years ago, we had to throw it on a big gator that is always lingering near canoes to pass through the marshmallows,” Gossett Seidman said. “His name was marshmallow, but this activity is now considered illegal.”
Gossett-Seidman and co-sponsored representative John Snyder worked with state agencies and environmental organizations to guide the law. Now it goes to the Senate. There, a similar bill has cleared two committees so far.
