By Paul Waldmiller
Did you know that the head of Florida’s environmental protection agency has stepped down?
Shawn Hamilton’s resignation comes following a backlash against his proposal to develop golf courses, pickleball courts, and hotels at state parks, known as the “Great Outdoors Initiative.” His proposal outraged thousands of Floridians who want Florida parks and recreation areas to remain with native plants and trees.
This past August, the FDEP unveiled Hamilton’s initiative, which aimed to transform nine state parks into recreational hubs. However, the plan sparked rare bipartisan opposition, with top Republican legislative leaders, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and Democrats, as well as environmental groups like the Sierra Club and the Cleo Institute, raising concerns and outrage.
The amount of opposition to both Hamilton and his plan, led Governor Ron DeSantis to announce that plans for the parks would be put back on the drawing board. The result was Hamilton’s resignation.
Alexis Lambert, chief of staff of the state’s bond finance division, will replace Shawn Hamilton as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The change in leadership comes as the agency attempts to recover its image of a protector of Florida’s pristine nature and beauty after the controversial proposal and works to rebuild trust with environmental groups and Floridians and tourists who enjoy our parks and natural landscapes.