Earlier this week, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection launched its 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative. According to a press release, the initiative is designed to increase public access and outdoor activities while providing “new overnight accommodations” at nine Florida state parks, including Anastasia Island State Park in St. Augustine.
The DEP is to increase overnight accommodations at Anastasia State Park by establishing campgrounds, cabins and lodging on park grounds, as well as “recreational opportunities” such as pickleball, disc golf, golf and paddling to “strengthen commitment to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and the quality of life.”
“As part of this initiative, DEP will update state park plans to improve public access, using the same best practices used by DEP and park systems across the country,” the press release said.
The statement emphasized that DEP’s improvements will continue to reflect Florida’s heritage, with park-specific resources that maintain compatibility with the park’s landscape while providing amenities for visitors.
The draft UPM amendment for Anastasia State Park calls for the construction of a 350-room park lodge in the southern portion east of the campground. The amendment also documents that an extraction pit dug prior to the park’s acquisition is a potentially suitable location for part of the lodge. According to the amendment, views from the lodge will include maritime hammocks, dune ridges and the Atlantic beach. For design purposes, the campground will remain separate to ensure “different recreational experiences.”
Four pickleball courts and a disc golf course will be built in the park’s Salt Run Use Area.
“Users may utilize the existing Salt Run Use Area parking lots, currently used primarily by paddlers,” the written draft amendment states. “The new user group may park at the north end of this existing parking lot, while paddlers typically park further south. If necessary, the parking lot may be expanded. An existing restroom adjacent to the parking lot may be considered for upgrade or expansion if needed to accommodate increased recreational activity.”
The initiative promises to assess important wildlife habitats.
The residents are not very happy.
“This type of development would be devastating to the ecosystem in this area and would be completely contrary to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s mission to protect, conserve and manage the state’s natural resources,” said Susan Sullivan. “Our children, who are now adults, grew up camping in Anastasia. We bought a house in St. Augustine a little over a year ago and now spend almost every weekend fishing, hiking and biking in Anastasia State Park. It’s a very special place.”
“It’s the old demand for something so unacceptable that the opposition is happy with a scaled-down project, say 75 rooms,” said Darien Andreu. “This is common practice in development plans. The 350 rooms would mean at least 350 cars that would need parking. And how much of the park will be eaten up to accommodate the extra parking and traffic?”
“There are many rooms that can be reached by car or even on foot from the park,” she continued. “This is not a huge western park.”
The DEP will hold public meetings throughout Florida on Tuesday, August 27, from 3 to 4 p.m., which will include presentations and a three-minute public comment period per person. The meeting for Anastasia State Park will be held at the Character Counts Conference Center, Building C, 2980 Collins Ave., at First Coast Technical College in St. Augustine.
The Florida Wildlife Federation encourages residents to send emails expressing their concerns and provides email templates on its website at https://floridawildlifefederation.org/action-state-parks-threat.
Click here to obtain a copy of the Anastasia State Park UMP amendment draft. Click here to obtain a reference map for Anastasia State Park. Click here to obtain a conceptual land use map. Click here to obtain an online agenda for the Anastasia State Park public meeting.
The Florida Park Service was established in 1935 to promote tourism and manage historic sites and conservation areas. Statistics show that Florida’s 175 state parks attracted nearly 30 million visitors in the 2022-23 fiscal year, contributing to an economic impact of $3.6 billion while supporting more than 50,000 jobs. The Florida Park Service includes 175 state parks, trails and historic sites on more than 815,000 acres and 100 miles of shoreline.
