Opponents decry Anastasia State Park plans

Opponents are lining up against plans to add a lodge and other recreation areas at Anastasia State Park, part of a statewide effort to attract more people to state parks.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection this week announced the Great Outdoors Initiative, which includes a 350-room lodge, pickleball courts and a disc golf course on the barrier island near St. Augustine.

The state says building in the state park would get more people outside and provide overnight accommodations beyond camping.

Conservation groups and others who enjoy the park aren’t sold. They will have a chance to express their displeasure at a meeting next week.

Jen Lomberk, executive director of Matanzas Riverkeeper, says Anastasia State Park already offers activities — from the beach to birding and kayaking — that come with a much smaller environmental footprint than what the state wants.

“There’s a big difference between active recreation and passive recreation. Passive recreation are those things like hiking and birding. They don’t require as much infrastructure. They don’t require as much disruption to the ecosystem,” Lomberk tells Jacksonville Today . “Whereas active recreation — things like pickleball courts and golf courses — those are a completely different type of recreation, and they require a lot more intensive impacts to the landscape.

The Matanzas Riverkeeper, like other riverkeepers around the state, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the local waterways through education and advocacy.

A 350-room lodge could mean as many — or more than — 1,000 more people in the environmentally sensitive park at a time, and Lomberk says she wants to see Anastasia State Park maintain its status as one of the only places on the island where “wildlife can get away from constant human interaction.”

It’s a place where people can get away from constant human interaction, too.

James Benveniste took his boogie board out to the park’s beach Thursday morning as he has every week for 20 years.

Benveniste lives in Fleming Island, but he makes the hourlong trek from Clay County to Anastasia State Park because he says the atmosphere is hard to beat.

Benveniste is typically on the beach around sunrise, so he isn’t sure whether increased traffic to the park would affect him as much as it would others, but he says it would certainly make him think twice.

“If I had family in town, and the decision to go to the beach was raised, I probably wouldn’t come out here during a 9-5,” Benveniste says. “It’s the crowds. The lack of is why I come here.”

The project’s opponents got support Thursday from some of Florida’s highest ranking lawmakers .

In a statement on X , formerly known as Twitter, Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo says the plans clash with her priorities for the state’s parks.

“Our vision did not contemplate the addition of golf courses and hotels, which in my view are not in line with the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of nature,” she says. “I am open to other ideas, but from what I know at this time, the proposal should not move forward in its current form.”

The state late Wednesday released information targeting what it said was “confusion” about the plan.

“Our efforts to enhance public access, recreation and accommodations are for everyone,” the Department of Environmental Protection said as part of a series of online posts. “The public’s input is welcomed and always valued.”

Regarding Anastasia State Park, the department said, “We’re looking for opportunities to provide more overnight accommodations, similar to the popular Wakulla Springs Lodge & other lodges at National Parks.”

Benveniste, the Fleming Island man, hadn’t heard about the proposed changes, and Lomberk is worried that’s by design.

She says the Department of Environmental Protection usually issues notices about new plans and projects weeks in advance — with more transparency than she says the Great Outdoors Initiative has had.

Lomberk is frustrated that people were given only a week’s notice before a public meeting that will be held during work hours.

The meeting for the Anastasia State Park project will begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Character Counts Conference Center, Building C on the First Coast Technical College campus, 2980 Collins Ave. in St. Augustine.

Other meetings will be held simultaneously across the state. Anastasia State Park is one of nine parks across Florida where the state is proposing changes. Others include Hillsborough River State Park in Tampa and Camp Helen State Park in Panama City Beach.

Members of the public will be given three minutes to share their thoughts with representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.

The story was updated Aug. 22, 2024, to include information about some lawmakers’ opposition to the park plans.

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