Ambar Ramirez
Words by Ambar Ramirez
When the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) revealed its 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative last year, Florida residents took to the streets for protests. As a quick reminder, the Great Outdoors initiative planned to make Florida’s State Parks more accessible by expanding public access, increasing outdoor activities by building pickleball courts or golf courses and implementing new lodging options. As you can imagine, this proposed initiative didn’t land (pun intended) with the public as the DEP may have hoped and after seven days, the bill was quickly redrawn. In a press conference two days later, Governor Ron DeSantis admitted the proposal was “half-baked” and “not ready for prime time,” declaring it effectively dead: “They’re going back to the drawing board.”
In Northeast Florida alone, the FDEP had some big (and frankly, baffling) ideas for our state parks. The plan included building a massive 350-room lodge right in the middle of Anastasia State Park and adding multiple golf courses to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Thankfully, St. Johns County Commission Chair Sarah Arnold didn’t waste any time shutting it down, rejecting any proposed development in those parks.
It’s ironic that something called the Great Outdoors Initiative was what finally tripped up DeSantis — not culture wars, not his crusade against higher education or banned books, but a collective demand to leave Florida’s wild spaces alone. And while the plan may be shelved, the fight over green space is just heating up—especially in rapidly developing cities like our very own Jacksonville, where the battle to balance growth and preservation is playing out in real time. So, to borrow a phrase from the Governor himself: back to the drawing board we go.
There are always two sides to every story — and when it comes to history, you’re either on the right side of it or the wrong one. Thankfully, for those of us who call Jacksonville and Northeast Florida home, we can confidently say we’re standing on the right side. While the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — spearheaded by Elon Musk’s White House advisory team — is busy gutting the National Park Service and the Trump administration is pushing executive orders to ramp up logging, Northeast Florida is proving to be the exception. A beacon, if you will. A glimmer of what it actually looks like to balance protecting green spaces with thoughtful, sustainable growth.
Proposed in 2003 by the St. Johns County in collaboration with HDR, National Parks Service’s River Trails & Conservation Assistance program, the Greenway, Blueway and Trails Master Plan are proof that conservation initiatives can be implemented in a way that protects natural spaces instead of paving over them. The current FDEP group sees luscious green spaces and protected species as an opportunity to build concrete sidewalks and disruptive structures whereas this Northeast Florida Blueway project sees a way to connect the public with nature through various activities like boating, canoeing, kayaking, birding, hiking, and fishing, while also contributing to the protection and restoration of the region’s land and water resources.
Known for his walkable and admirable community, planner Dan Burden had this to say within the St. Johns County Greenway, Blueway and Trails Master Plan final report:
“A trail offers its users awareness of their surroundings. Trails preserve vistas. Trails preserve ecosystems, which allow natural sounds to drown out urban sounds. Trails invite touch and discovery. Trails protect and preserve fragrance. The trail experience offers users feelings of bigness and connection with the earth. Trails unfold the mystery, offer surprise, and preserve the detail. In fact, well-designed trails offer the hikers, bicyclists, skaters or other adventurers new sensations each time they are used.”
The Northeast Florida Blueway Project is part of the DEP’s Florida Forever Plan and over the years has made some impactful moves. Take the expansion and protection of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, for example—safeguarding vital estuarine ecosystems that endangered species like the Florida manatee call home. In 2019, Fish Island was acquired and preserved thanks to a joint effort between the North Florida Land Trust and the FDEP. Not only did that move protect a slice of valuable coastal habitat, it also opened up new recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike — proving that when done right, conservation and smart development can coexist.
In more recent news, the Emerald Trail is a 30-mile network of bicycle and pedestrian paths currently weaving its way through Jacksonville. Led by Groundwork Jacksonville in collaboration with the City of Jacksonville, the project aims to connect 14 historic neighborhoods to Downtown, the St. Johns River, and nearby waterways like McCoys Creek and Hogans Creek.
One standout example of the project’s commitment to protecting and restoring natural spaces is the McCoys Creek Stream Restoration. Set to wrap up by fall, the plan will return the creek — once a vibrant natural waterway that flowed through downtown — to its original state. And this isn’t just about aesthetics. The restoration is expected to reduce chronic flooding along McCoys Creek Boulevard and nearby neighborhoods. On top of that, the revamped creek will tie directly into the Emerald Trail and offer public access for canoeing and kayaking. Now that’s what we call a win-win.
With more initiatives and conservation efforts that aim to embrace nature’s beauty instead of covering it up, maybe more states, government agencies and executive orders will see the beauty in it too.
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