Group withdraws controversial plan to build golf courses in Florida state park

The group behind the plan to build golf courses on Jonathan Dickinson State Park is withdrawing its proposal, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Sunday.

In a statement, the state agency said that the plan for the state park had been submitted by the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, a little-known group registered as a nonprofit corporation in Delaware. But its Florida lobbyist registrations list the group as having the same Oklahoma address as Folds of Honor, a national veterans charity that had previously pursued building golf courses on Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

The Tampa Bay Times reported Saturday that Folds of Honor , which has ties to famed golfer Jack Nicklaus, had previously pitched the golf proposal to a state senator and a county commissioner in Martin County — both of which told the group it was a bad idea. Gov. DeSantis’ schedule shows he had a one-on-one with the nonprofit’s founder, Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, on April 10.

In a statement that was circulated among Florida journalists , the Tuskeegee Dunes Foundation said it had chosen Folds of Honor as its charity to receive proceeds from the golf courses. Conservative podcast host Dan Bongino, who lives in Martin County where the proposed courses would be built, said in an online statement Sunday that he spoke with his friends at Folds of Honor and they “do not plan to move forward on this project.” Bongino, who himself has donated thousands to the nonprofit, said the group “just didn’t understand the local passion for JD park.”

Despite Tuskeegee Dunes’ low profile, the foundation has two registered lobbyists in Tallahassee, including Ryan Matthews, who briefly led the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2017. Neither Matthews nor the group’s other lobbyist, Joseph Salzverg, immediately responded to voicemails Sunday asking for more information about the group.

“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection appreciates the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation’s good-faith proposal for a public golf course at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. While they are withdrawing their proposal, the Foundation worked with the state to pursue a project that would have created a public, world class golf course for all, while supporting veterans, first responders and their families. Their plan to honor the Tuskegee Airmen was noble,” spokesperson Alex Kuchta wrote in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times.

Kuchta ended the emailed statement with this line: “This project will be removed from agency review.” The Times has asked whether that means the agency is dropping the idea of golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park altogether, or just Tuskegee Dunes’ involvement. There was no response as of Sunday evening.

The Tuskeegee Dunes’ website Sunday directed to a statement from the group that led with: “No golf at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.” The group also sent that same statement to the Times, noting that it had worked with the state of Florida on the proposal and that it had “received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park is the not the right location” for a golf course.

The Department of Environmental Protection’s comments Sunday did not mention any change of course for the other eight state parks where it also has plans to add hotels, pickleball courts and more.

The developments come after a weekend of widespread protests across the state, where thousands gathered at the state parks the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said were being considered for new development projects. More than a hundred people gathered at Honeymoon Island Saturday and Sunday. Hundreds also gathered at Anastasia State Park and Jonathan Dickinson State Park in protest of the state’s plan.

Times staff writer Emily L. Mahoney contributed to this report.