DEP won’t say who came up with the controversial ‘Great Outdoors Initiative’

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has posted onto social media several times, defending and outlining its plans to develop multiple Florida state parks. But one detail they haven’t yet disclosed is who came up with the “Great Outdoors Initiative.”

A plan to build golf courses, pickleball courts, lodging and more on protected land has sparked outrage across Florida. Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound is listed as one of the parks in the plan.

The CBS12 News I-Team asked the DEP: “Who came up with the plans?” The department acknowledged our request but did not answer the question.

It would need approval from a seven-member DEP board called the Acquisition and Restoration Council, or ARC. The I-Team reached out to every member of that board, and it appears they were just as surprised to learn about the Great Outdoor Initiative as everyone else.

At least three ARC members have gone on the record to say they were not involved in the crafting of this plan, and don’t know who was.

The I-Team received a statement from Elva Peppers, an ecologist on the ARC board. She denied any involvement in creating in the Great Outdoors Initiative and said, “I don’t think it fits with the objectives of the parks.” When asked if she views the plan favorably, she said, “No, I do not.”

Michael Barfield, of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, said the public has a right to know who is behind the plan.

“This particular project, there’s been a lot of secrecy behind it. No one is willing to own it. And the public is demanding answers,” Barfield said.

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