Opposition continues to boil over Anastasia State Park plan

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Outrage continues to boil in St. Johns County about a state plan to add a lodge, pickleball courts and disc golf to Anastasia State Park.

Last week, The St. Augustine Record reported on the uprising in America's oldest city as local residents and public officials reacted to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's announcement of its 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative.

The plans called for a adding amenities such as pickleball courts, disc golf, full golf courses and hotels or lodges at nine Florida State Parks, including Anastasia State Park, a state-owned coastline recreation area located within the city limits of the City of St. Augustine.

The DEP's Anastasia State Park Draft UPM Amendment proposes building a 350-room lodge in the southern region just south of the Island Beach Shop and Grill. Four pickleball courts and a disc golf course are also planned for the park’s Salt Run area.

On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered along A1A with signs of protest against the initiative.

More reaction from city and county officials Sarah Arnold, chair of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, issued a public statement Sunday expressing concern and anger about the plan, which she said blindsided the commissioners. According to Arnold, the commission was not contacted with any details of the project prior to DEP's announcement.

"Parks are for people and not about projects for profit," she wrote. "Our board has been consistent in our views on natural resource conservation and protection. This proposed project is absolutely contrary to the board's vision and priorities."

Arnold said the board would address the proposed project with all available recourses.

"Anastasia State Park is a state-owned recreation area inside the city limits of the City of St. Augustine," she said. "It may involve a review by its staff and its city commission."

Commissioner Henry Dean said the land for Anastasia State Park was originally purchased in 1959. He recalled negotiating the purchase of Conch Island, located on the park's northern portion, in 1982, when he served as director of the Division of State Lands, Department of Natural Resources, which was a precursor to the DEP.

"The day I presented the item to the governor and cabinet was a happy day indeed," he said. "I remember thinking 'No high-rise condos or hotels will ever be built on Anastasia State Park land. The beautiful beach, the high dunes, the ocean hammocks, will be preserved forever.'"

Dean described the announcement as disheartening.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's conceptual plan for Anastasia State Park includes pickleball courts, a disc golf course and a 350-room lodge on the southern end of the property, just south of the existing beach parking, shop and grill, and north of A1A. It's a short distance from two other A1A hotels just outside of the property.

"Ocean breezes and intermittent storms have bent and withered the trees in the park over the years, but however bent, they still stand against the storms, a proud testament to the strength and resiliency of Florida’s natural resources," he continued. "We inherited our beautiful state parks from leaders who, like Teddy Roosevelt and Harry Truman, recognized the beauty in Florida’s natural resources and took bold action to secure them for future generations."

Dylan Rumrell, mayor of St. Augustine Beach, urged residents to make their voices heard through emails and phone calls to DEP on social media.

Nancy Sikes-Kline, mayor of St. Augustine and a historic preservationist, described Anastasia State Park as special, noting the old King's Quarries — Spanish Coquina Quarries located within the park.

"Any discussion regarding development of the park must take into consideration the value and location of this important historic resource," she said.

Sikes-Kline also urged residents to have their voices heard by contacting the DEP. She also included a description of Anastasia State Park from the National Register of Historic Places on social media.

"Although Anastasia State Park is best known now for its broad beach on the Atlantic Ocean and modern camping facilities in dense, virgin woodlands, it is closely involved in the history of St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. The park is located just across the Matanzas River from this quaint city on a narrow strip of land known as Anastasia Island," the entry reads. "The name 'Anastasia' is Spanish and may be literally translated 'of the resurrection.' Within the park's 1,035-acre boundaries are the original coquina, or shellrock, veins from which the Spaniards quarried rock in the 17th century for the construction of Castillo de San Marcos — a fortification vital to the protection of the very heart of Spanish holdings. The quarrying was a slow and tedious task, for the coquina had to be cut into blocks of the desired size, hauled by oxen across the jungle and marshland to Matanzas River where the blocks were loaded onto large lighters and sculled across to the mainland. Because of its attractive color and texture, as well as its comparative durability, coquina also was used in other St. Augustine colonial architecture."

The Matanzas River Keeper hosted a letter writing party while encouraging everyone to submit written comments on the draft proposals.

"Please fill out this survey, not just for our local park, but for all nine state parks," it said. "Let's send a clear message that golf courses do not belong in any of our state parks!"

Full golf courses, which were part of the plans for some of the nine state parks, are not currently part of the plan for Anastasia Island.

Public meeting postponed The DEP originally scheduled public meetings around the state for each park plan, all at the same time — Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 3 to 4 p.m.

But late Friday afternoon, the department postponed all meetings, saying it would reschedule for a later date. It said it intended to set new meeting times and places by Sept. 1.

In the meantime, it said, the public can submit comments to the agency through a special web portal at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7983173/Great-Outdoors-Initiative or by emailing AnastasiaSPPublicMeeting@FloridaDEP.gov.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Anastasia State Park plan draws protest from residents and officials

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Opposition continues to boil over Anastasia State Park plan

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