Editorials: Florida parks are public trusts, not profit centers

How many times do Floridians need to revolt before Gov. Rick Scott and legislative leaders recognize that the state's park system is not here for crass commercial development? The latest harebrained idea — to allow everything from timber farming to other agricultural uses — is a road to ruin for the parks and another sign that this administration has no appreciation for the need to preserve and showcase Florida's natural beauty.

As the Tampa Bay Times' Craig Pittman recently reported, the proposal is part of a concerted effort by the governor and the Legislature to convert an award-winning park system that attracts millions of visitors into a land management operation that funnels money back into the state's treasury. That could mean allowing a range of uses in the parks that are now banned, from cattle grazing on publicly owned property to other commercial practices.

A bill approved by the House that died in the Senate after the legislative session collapsed last week would have allowed park property to be used to further "low-impact agriculture." While the bill did not define what types of activities would be permitted, the language was broad enough to cover any use that fell within the park's land management plan and did not "adversely impact" the park's conservation purpose.

The Department of Environmental Protection under this governor has launched several schemes that would have commercialized the park system. The DEP's proposal in 2011 to build private tent and RV camps in the state parks prompted such a public backlash that Scott was forced to abandon the idea. Two years later, the agency began an effort to swap existing park land for new land — a measure so half-baked it ended without a single acre being sold. Now the department's new secretary, Jon Stevenson, is looking for new ways to raise money so the park system pays for itself. The DEP is putting together a request for cattle ranchers to take over nearly one-fifth of the 37,000-acre Myakka River State Park in Sarasota County.

Cattle ranching and farming have no more legitimate places in the state park system than oil drilling has in the state's natural springs. These pristine habitats are recharge areas for wildlife, the ecosystem and humans alike; viewing them as revenue centers misses the entire purpose of public ownership. The state also has an obligation to preserve a window on Florida to future generations.

Scott continues to underestimate the importance Floridians place on maintaining the state's natural beauty. He fails to see that the public has lost confidence in the DEP, which has repeatedly put the interests of business and polluters ahead of the environment. The governor should drop plans to transform the parks into profit centers and recognize that they are a sacred public trust.