Florida Democrats call for investigation into plan to develop state parks

Five Democratic members of Congress are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis to order an independent investigation into what (if any) state procedures were violated in his administration’s state parks scheme, and which private groups lobbied for and stood to benefit had the plan gone through.

The move came a week after DeSantis shut down the proposal by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to add golf courses, pickleball courts, and lodging options to nine state parks amid nearly universal opposition from the public.

“Your proposal was quietly rushed into a public hearing process and timed to a summer travel period when residents were less likely to attend. It is also still not clear who is behind the plan. Given this destructive, veiled affront, the public is owed peace of mind, honesty, and transparency,” reads a portion of the letter from U.S. representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor, Maxwell Frost, Darren Soto, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

“Similar schemes were floated by your predecessor, current U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who quickly jettisoned them due to overwhelming opposition. It would be political malfeasance to be ignorant of the massive public outcry over former Gov. Scott’s failed attempt to misuse Florida’s parks. So, it appears this plan’s success relied on hiding it from our citizens. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s bid to bypass public input necessitates formal investigation.”

The letter goes on to ask that the governor release all public records regarding the plan, called the “ 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative ,” as well as start a formal investigation “immediately.”

Unlike many other controversial proposals unveiled in the 5-1/2 years of DeSantis’ rule in Tallahassee, Republicans joined Democrats in sharing their outrage over the plan almost immediately after it was reported late last month.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and Panhandle-area Congressman Matt Gaetz all expressed criticism of the proposal. And protests broke out among members of the public throughout the state.

Whistleblower

Meanwhile, James Gaddis, a former employee of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection who was fired last weekend after it was learned that he had leaked the plan, is still dealing with the aftermath.

He’s become a hero to some environmentalists, and his GoFundMe page. created to support himself financially after he was terminated from his $49,000 job, is thriving.

The fund was at $221,145 as of Thursday afternoon.

However, Gaddis was also dealing on Thursday with a broadcast report that he had resigned from another state job “in lieu of termination’ in January 2022 after a relationship with a co-worker resulted in him being accused of sending harassing messages to her. The TV station said a “source in AHCA shared documents” detailing the matter.

Gaddis told the Palm Beach Post that the release of the records was a “somewhat expected hit piece, irrelevant to anything involving state parks.”

A request for comment by the governor’s office was not immediately returned.

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