Meetings scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the state’s plans were postponed Friday. New dates and locations have not yet been announced.
Golf courses in Florida state parks?
US Congressman Brian Mast speaks about golf course proposals at Jonathan Dickinson State Park
In the face of growing opposition to the state’s plans, the Nicklaus Companies makes it clear that it has no involvement in the planned golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson State Park.
The Palm Beach Gardens-based company said in a statement that it only learned of the Florida Environmental Protection Agency’s planned courses through news reports and hopes that the current concerns of growing opposition will be “addressed in an open and public process.”
“We are very proud of the Nicklaus name, our reputation and the work we do at Nicklaus Design – especially when it comes to environmental and community responsibility,” the statement said. “Florida is home to our company and many of our employees are regular visitors to our beautiful state parks. You can be assured that everything we do is consistent with these principles.”
The statement emphasized that the statement came exclusively from the Nicklaus Companies and Nicklaus Design and not from Jack Nicklaus personally.
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Scott Tolley, Jack Nicklaus’ media representative, could not be reached for comment on the current golf course proposals in the park.
The golf course plans at Jonathan Dickinson State Park are part of the 2024-2025 Great Outdoors Initiative, which aims to improve public access to parks. Eight other parks are part of the initiative, which aims to add amenities such as disc golf, pickleball courts and 350-bed lodges.
Nicklaus, who lives in North Palm Beach, founded the Nicklaus Companies but ended his employment there in June 2017 after 50 years. He continued to design courses for the companies until he retired from his position in May 2022.
That same month, Nicklaus was sued by the Nicklaus Companies, primarily for breach of contract between the parties. A lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York alleged, among other things, that Jack Nicklaus had no right to compete with the Companies for business.
According to a July article in golf magazine The First Call, an arbitrator ruled earlier this summer that Jack Nicklaus could compete with Nicklaus Companies for golf course design contracts. Nicklaus expressed regret that his relationship with the companies and their major shareholder, Howard Milstein, had deteriorated, according to The First Call article. However, he said he was pleased with the arbitrator’s decision and is quoted as saying, “If you want a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, call me.”
“Nicklaus Designs has no information regarding any projects (Nicklaus) may or may not have pursued outside of our companies over the past two years,” a Nicklaus Companies representative said in an email to The Palm Beach Post.
More: High Schools in Congress: Growing Concerns Over Development of Jonathan Dickinson State Park
The Nicklaus Companies, which market products under the Jack Nicklaus and Golden Bear brands, have designed and constructed more than 420 golf courses in 45 countries and 40 U.S. states worldwide.
It is unclear how plans for golf courses and other facilities in the state parks were developed.
Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast of Palm City said he was surprised by the details of the Great Outdoors Initiative.
“I do NOT support the proposed golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park,” Mast said in a social media post. “It must remain pristine and stay just that.”
A protest rally against the golf courses is planned for Saturday, August 24, at 9 a.m. in the park.
A statewide gathering scheduled for Tuesday at The Flagler of Stuart venue, 201 SW Flagler Avenue in Stuart, to hear Jonathan Dickinson’s address has been canceled.
The DEP posted on social media Friday afternoon that due to overwhelming public interest, it is looking for new venues to accommodate more people. New meetings will be scheduled for the week of Sept. 2.
This is not the first time that there has been a push to add golf courses to state parks.
In 2011, lawmakers attempted to add golf courses to state parks through bills that would have required the state Department of Recreation and Parks to hire a company that works with Jack Nicklaus to build golf courses in the state’s state parks. The idea was to create the “Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail of Florida.”
The only park specifically mentioned in the House bill is Jonathan Dickinson, which is closest to Nicklaus’s home in North Palm Beach. Former state Rep. Patrick Rooney Jr., R-West Palm Beach, filed House Bill 1239.
Under the bill, hotels could be integrated into the golf facility. The courses would also include a clubhouse with limited food and service, parking and a building for course maintenance.
A March 2011 Tampa Bay Times article reported a Nicklaus lobbyist as saying the bills arose from discussions between Nicklaus and then-Governor Rick Scott about promoting tourism in the state.
The public backlash against the proposals was so great that both proposals were quickly withdrawn.
“The people of Florida have spoken out very clearly about this proposal over the past few days, and they are the reason I am in office,” Rooney said in a press release his office emailed to reporters shortly after he withdrew the bill, according to the Times article.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to [email protected]. Support our local journalism and subscribe today.
