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TALLAHASSEE,
Fla.
—
In
a
major
environmental
victory,
Governor
Ron
DeSantis
today
signed
House
Bill
209,
the
State
Park
Preservation
Act,
into
law—enacting
some
of
the
strongest
protections
for
Florida’s
175
state
parks
in
recent
history.
Effective
July
1,
2025,
the
bipartisan
legislation
prohibits
incompatible
commercial
development—including
golf
courses,
hotels,
and
pickleball
courts—within
state
parks,
preserving
them
exclusively
for
conservation-based
recreation
such
as
hiking,
camping,
kayaking,
and
birdwatching.
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Co-sponsored
by
Representative
John
Snyder
(R-Stuart),
Senator
Gayle
Harrell
(R-Stuart),
and
Representative
Peggy
Gossett-Seidman
(R-District
91),
HB-209
passed
both
chambers
unanimously.
The
law
also
enhances
public
transparency
by
requiring
formal
hearings
and
digital
availability
of
updated
land
management
plans—ensuring
public
access,
environmental
integrity,
and
protection
of
Florida’s
historic
and
ecological
treasures.
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“This
may
be
one
of
the
most
monumental
environmental
laws
Florida
has
ever
passed,”
said
Rep.
Gossett-Seidman.
“Our
parks
are
not
for
sale—they’re
sacred
public
spaces
filled
with
natural
beauty
that
must
be
protected
for
future
generations.
I’m
grateful
to
Governor
DeSantis
and
my
legislative
colleagues
for
standing
together
on
this.”
A
longtime
advocate
for
Florida’s
environment,
Rep.
Gossett-Seidman
said
HB-209
reflects
growing
urgency
to
protect
the
state’s
native
parks
from
overdevelopment:
“We
owe
it
to
the
next
generation
to
preserve
what
brought
people
to
Florida
in
the
first
place.”