TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A Florida state park golf course proposal that landed Gov. Ron DeSantis in political hot water attracted two of the biggest names in professional golf history: Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
A proposal to build courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Southeast Florida has been shelved after bipartisan opposition and statewide protests. But the idea would have been approved by the state and both Woods and Nicklaus would have been involved in the course design.
“There were actually going to be at least two courses; one will be the Tiger course and one will be the Jack course,” Eugene Stearns, an attorney representing Nicklaus, told NBC News.
According to him, Niklaus, who designed more than 300 courses worldwide, would have done the work for free if the offer had come true.
“For Jack, it was a matter of charity,” Stearns said.
The proposal was the first informed by the Tampa Bay Times — were part of changes to nine state parks that added amenities such as saltwater ball fields and new lodges. The golf courses, however, were the proposal’s biggest point of contention.
A DeSantis administration official said the plans have not been finalized and they expect a pushback. But when it went public, things developed too quickly before it was ready.
“We’ve lost the story on this,” said a DeSantis administration official. “The leaks didn’t help.”
DeSantis never said he supported the plan, and he said he never “endorsed it.” He left the agency headed by the governor.
Reaction spanned the political spectrum, from Democrats to environmental groups to most state Republicans, including Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, along with Rep. Matt Gaetz.
“I know you love our Florida environment. In 2018, we campaigned together on environmental protection. I saw your sincerity up close,” Gaetz placed X directs his comments to DeSantis. “Use your excellent leadership skills to kill this anti-Florida Man initiative. Keep our parks natural.”
Past attempts to put golf courses in Florida’s parks have also been pushed back, with people in the state generally opposed to any further development in those areas.
Wood’s Florida-based golf course design company, TGR Design, did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but four sources, including a DeSantis administration official, confirmed it was involved in the early stages of the proposal.
The proposal was made by Folds of Honor, an Oklahoma-based nonprofit that helps veterans. It uses golf, among other things, to raise scholarship money for families of killed or disabled members and first responders.
The group, which has floated the idea of creating golf courses at Florida state parks in the past, released a statement last week confirming its involvement. The plan is to bring “world-class” golf to Southeast Florida and donate the proceeds to military and first responder families, he said.
The group’s statement was shared and amplified by nationally known conservative firebrand Dan Bongino, who said the group had personally assured him the proposal would not backfire.
My good friends at Folds of Honor have also assured me that they have no plans to move forward with this project,” Bongino, who lives in the area, wrote on social media. “They are great people, doing great things. They just didn’t understand the local passion for JD Park.”
A second, lesser-known group, the Delaware-based Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, previously said on a newly launched website that it was also behind the proposal, but has since backed off.
“We received clear feedback that Jonathan Dickinson State Park was not the right location,” he said posted by the group. “We did not understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity. “We will not build on our beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park.”
Little is known about the group, which shares an Oklahoma address with Folds of Honor, but the group hired two Florida lobbyists in January, including former head of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, Ryan Matthews. DeSantis’ boss had broad powers to move forward with the plan he designated.
DeSantis’ communications team initially supported the idea, despite growing public pushback.
In a statement last week, DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern said it’s something former President Teddy Roosevelt, a noted conservationist, would support.
“Teddy Roosevelt believed that public parks were for the benefit and enjoyment of the people, and we agree with him,” said Redfern. “No administration has done more to protect Florida’s natural resources, grow protected lands and keep our environment clean. But it’s time to make public lands more accessible to the public.”
On Wednesday, DeSantis walked away from the offer.
“It was not approved by me. I have never seen it,” he told reporters. “A lot of these products were just half-baked and not ready for prime time.”