St. Augustine, Florida. – The state of Florida wants to build golf courses, pickleball courts and even hotels in nine different parks across the state.

It is part of the recently announced Great Outdoors initiative to improve access to parks.

These plans include Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine.

Anastasia State Park offers everything from camping to kayaking. Soon there may be a lot more. But several people News4JAX spoke to on Wednesday were pretty blunt. They say the park should stay as it is.

Robert Hendrick considers Anastasia State Park his favorite state park on the East Coast.

“It’s got everything you need,” Hendrick said, describing why he likes the park so much. “You have the beach, you have the water, you can ride bikes. It’s perfect.”

But changes are coming. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Anastasia could get a lodge with up to 350 rooms, a disc golf course and pickleball courts.

READ: Conceptual plans for Anastasia State Park

The department has published a map showing the locations of each new arrival.

The lodge would be located east of the campsite and south of the beach.

The disc golf course and up to four pickleball courts would be located east of the park’s main entrance.

Hendrick absolutely rejected this idea.

“It’s perfect the way it is,” he said. “There’s a campground with unlimited sites. You’ve got the beach. You’ve got the parking lot. I don’t think you need all that other stuff to make it even more crowded.”

Sarah Gledhill, president of the Florida Wildlife Federation, called the proposals inappropriate.

“Our state parks, particularly Anastasia, are based on their historical and conservation value,” Gledhill said. “We come here for passive recreation. These are our public lands. They are not there for private companies to exploit and profit from.”

Three friends expressed different opinions about the new leisure opportunities, but made one thing clear: They don’t want a cabin.

“I like the park the way it is now,” said Csilla Draganescu. “It’s quiet. I want to hear the birds, not the pickleball.”

“I’m not a fan of even more hotels, but I don’t see a problem with pickleball and disc golf if it’s done right,” said Karen Austro. “The campground could potentially use something new for people to do. Disc golf is really fun when it’s placed on the trails so you can hike as well. I’ve seen it done right. It all depends on how they incorporate it.”

“We don’t need any more hotels,” Bob Denman said. “Disc golf sounds like fun here. (As for) pickleball, I started that in Palencia. I don’t think we need to build it here.”

Anastasia State Park is not alone.

The state is also proposing similar changes at eight other state parks in Florida.

A public meeting will be held in each municipality on Tuesday, August 27th.

For Anastasia State Park, the meeting will be at 3:00 p.m. at First Coast Technical College in St. Augustine.