Jaycee Park will now join the Yacht Club as a stop on the Cape Coral ghost tour.

Cape Coral City Council on Wednesday approved a $16-$18 million redevelopment plan in conjunction with a public-private partnership for the riverfront park at the end of Beach Parkway.

The approval came 6-2 after an extended period of citizen input, with council members Jessica Cosden and Richard Carr, who said he agreed with the concept but not with the final plan as presented, dissenting.

The decision now paves the way for another clean sweep, a near clearing of an older park site, including the removal of the decades-old Australian pines along the Caloosahatchee. Redevelopment will include the planting of numerous new shade trees, the installation of pathways, a boardwalk, boat docks, a band shell and a food truck court with a bar via a concessionaire agreement with a local firm that will invest about $1.37 million to make the food-and-drink component happen.

The angst expressed by those Cape residents who define parks as green space with no-cost/low-cost amenities and improvements is not unique.

Nor is the philosophy expressed by the Council majority — that parks should capitalize on the unique attributes each offers, minimize the cost of amenities by partnering with the private sector and yes, parks should bring in some money to offset maintenance and other costs.

As Cape residents lined up to speak — again — before Council Wednesday night to argue for pines and quiet, news sites began to report similar demands statewide.

On Monday, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced its 2024-25 Great Outdoors plan, an “initiative to increase public access, recreation and lodging at Florida State Parks.”

The initiative “ensures Florida’s conservation lands can be enjoyed by Floridians today and tomorrow,” the 11th hour public meetings notification from FDEP to media outlets states.

How?

Well, in looking at the proposed plans for Jonathan Dickinson State Park, it means adding two 18-hole and one 9-hole golf courses to a park that currently is mostly preserved as natural habitat. It means a clubhouse and ancillary structures. It means removing the Hobe Mountain observation tower, one of the most popular observation sites in the state. It means hotels, the aforementioned additional “lodging.” It means a pickleball complex.

At other parks — there’s a total of nine in the rollout — it means a whole lot more than natural coastline, trails, camp grounds and native Florida in all its preserved glory for which Florida’s 175 state parks, trails and historic sites are renown, attracting some 30 million visitors last year alone.

FDEP officials cited the positives, pointing out that the “traditional” amenities will be expanded along with those that will attract visitors who want more — a “destination,” to use the touchstone polished by city officials and staff when touting the near demolishment and more intensive rebuilds for Jaycee Park and the Yacht Club.

“In addition to increasing the number of campsites, cabins and lodges on park property, the initiative will increase the number of outdoor recreation opportunities available at Florida’s state parks, including pickleball, disc golf, golf and paddling,” FDEP stated.

With the prospect of golf courses, 350-room hotels — excuse us, “lodges,” at two state park preserves — protests started immediately with a Change.org petition to protect Jonathan Dickinson State Park garnering more than 10,000 signatures in little more than a day.

Unhappy officials in whose communities the affected state parks are located say they were not informed of the state initiative.

Residents, meanwhile, responded much like those in the Cape who did not want food trucks, a bar, and a designated adult-beverage “wet zone” at Jaycee Park, like those who vehemently opposed replacing the historic mid-century Yacht Club Ballroom with a two-story “resort-style” community complex.

A pair of public-private partnerships, which bring private funding to the table, are what will allow the commercial components at Jaycee Park, the Yacht Club and the eight parks across the state.

Environmental groups, who say FDEP “pulled a fast one,” with an initiative that will destroy “swaths of eight Florida state parks in order to develop golf courses, resort-style hotels, and pickleball courts” are outraged.

So the same issues, same arguments pro and con, but on a statewide scale.

Call it the preservation vs. progress divide: Where some see preservation of history and nature, others see progress and opportunity.

Can we have both?

On the state level, let us be blunt and let us be clear: The 2024-25 Great Outdoors plan would be better dubbed the 2024-25 Great Resorts plan.

It would undo generations of conservation and preservation efforts that have made Florida parks loved by locals and visitors alike.

Here in the Cape?

“Destinations” designed to attract high-intensity use of any kind in developed residential neighborhoods on proportionally small sites with limited ingress and egress can be problematic at best and traffic and noise nightmares at worst.

With two done deals approved, elected and municipal officials must be held accountable and responsible for mitigation should either become an issue at Jaycee Park or the Yacht Club.

We do, however, agree that public-private partnerships can and do have a place in public places, particularly when a P3 allows for services compatible with the unique nature of the park at no cost to the public and yes, provides some cold cash to boot.

The old golf course’s 178 acres and Festival Park come immediately to mind.

Let us turn, just a bit, a master gardener phase often quoted here in Florida: Right plan, right place.

It is the responsibility of our elected officials and administrative staff to assure right plan, right place compatibility when eyeing public parks and lands.

And it is our continuing responsibility to make sure right plan, right place is the priority at every level of government.

Breeze editorial

Editor’s note: This editorial has been corrected. The number of parks in the rollout is nine, not eight. Two of the nine were grouped together into one public meeting.

FDEP posted on X Friday that its scheduled public meetings have been cancelled and will be re-scheduled at dates to be determined.

“Due to the overwhelming interest with the 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative, DEP is looking for new venues to accommodate the public.

“We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate. Public input is vital to DEP decision-making. To gather feedback on your favorite state parks, we’ve launched a dedicated webpage for more suggestions: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7983173/Great-Outdoors-Initiative.

“New meeting dates will be announced soon, with meetings expected the week of Sept. 2, 2024.”

FDEP had slotted public comment for the nine affected parks at eight simultaneous 1-hour long “public meetings” set for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

The nine parks range across the state from the Panhandle to Miami-Dade.