Whoever came up with the slogan for Independent Health clearly didn’t watch any classic Star Trek, because the ways they retired “red shirts” on that show were horrifying…
By the way, if you haven’t yet read John Scalzi’s Redshirts, or better yet, listened to the audiobook version read by Wil Wheaton, do it!
With much secrecy, little notice, and almost no time slated for public feedback, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis announced a plan to put golf courses and pickleball courts in Florida’s state parks.
The state’s original plan was to hold public meetings on one day only — tomorrow, Tuesday, August 27th — where members of the public would have three minutes each to voice their opinions.
From the Tampa Bay Times:
Eric Draper, who served as the director of Florida’s state parks between 2017 and 2021, said it appears the state’s environmental agency is skirting the legal process and the parks system’s own internal operations manual for updating park management plans.
“This appears to be something that has been planned in secret, and it doesn’t appear to have involved the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are volunteers in the parks, the citizen support organizations, or the many people who have been involved in helping to create and develop Florida’s award-winning park system,” Draper said in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times.
Before the environmental agency formally introduced its proposed changes, staff should have convened a citizens advisory committee made up of other state agencies and people who are working at state parks, Draper said. That advisory committee should have then met and held a public hearing.
The affected state parks would be:
| The park | The plan |
| Jonathan Dickinson State Park | Public golf courses and other facilities, including the removal of the Hobe Mountain Observation Tower, an existing park entrance, staff residences and more. |
| Anastasia State Park | A park lodge with 350-room capacity, up to four pickleball courts, a disc golf course. |
| Topsail Hill Preserve State Park | A park lodge with 350-room capacity, up to four pickleball courts, a disc golf course. |
| Grayton Beach State Park | Up to 10 cabins, a beach access restroom, up to four pickleball courts, a disc golf course. |
| Hillsborough River State Park | Up to four pickleball courts, a disc golf course. |
| Honeymoon Island State Park | Up to four pickleball courts. |
| Oleta River State Park | Up to 10 cabins or glamping space, up to four pickleball courts, a disc golf course. |
| Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park | Up to four pickleball courts. |
| Camp Helen State Park | Up to 10 cabins or a glamping area. |
Find out more here:
That dispensing slot looks too small and too clean.
