The City of St. Augustine was given no advance notice of a state plan to install a hotel, pickleball courts and disc golf course on Anastasia Island, officials said Thursday amid a resident uproar.
“The City has not been contacted by the State of Florida with any details of this project,” the St. Augustine City Commission said after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s plan became public.
The proposal would develop a hotel with up to 350 rooms, four pickleball courts and a disc golf course on the scenic barrier island.
Anastasia State Park is one of nine sites that have been selected as candidates for development across Florida as part of the FDEP’s “Great Outdoors” campaign.
The plan, proponents assert, would spur wider engagement of Florida’s recreational attractions.
“The initiative will work to expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across Florida’s state parks—reinforcing the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians,” the FDEP said in a press release.
But critics appear to have a different definition of quality, arguing that Anastasia Island should be preserved as is.
A “Save Anastasia State Park” Facebook group had already drawn 1,300 members as of Friday morning, with posters planning a Sunday protest.
The Florida Wildlife Federation is also mobilizing opposition.
“While we all want to enjoy our beautiful parks, adding large-scale developments to these treasured spaces can have a serious impact on the very natural resources that make them special,” the group wrote on its Facebook page. “Let’s protect what makes our natural spaces extraordinary.”
The FDEP stated in its proposal that it would assess environmental impacts as the process moves along.
Besieged with complaints, St. Augustine officials urged residents to remain calm.
“We ask for the patience of the community while we discover exactly what the State of Florida is proposing and how that project will move through the local review process,” the City Commission wrote in its statement.
A public meeting has been scheduled for 3 pm at The First Coast Technical College in St. Augustine next Tuesday.
