TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The newly reappointed head of a state agency has some controversial ideas for state parks, but top state officials have told him to reconsider.
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jon Steverson was reappointed Wednesday by the governor and cabinet, but not before some serious grilling.
Steverson is kicking around the idea of opening up Florida's state parks to cattle grazing, timber harvesting and hunting. He said it's a matter of self-sustainability.
"I want to say, 'Hey, what can we do to make our parks the most beneficial to the citizens of the state, to the visitors of the state and to the environment which we're serving?'" Steverson said.
But the idea doesn't sit well with Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
"They're not going to be self-sustainable, and what it would take to manage a park to be self-sustainable would be unacceptable to the reasons why we got it," Putnam said.
Florida's state parks system has been recognized nationally with three gold medals from the National Recreation and Park Association.
Opponents of the idea said privatizing the parks won't help the state win a fourth medal.
Park advocate Jono Miller said opening up the parks won't send the right message to Floridians.
"Hearing chain saws, dead deer and cows are not going to get us a fourth gold medal," Miller said.
Jean Huffman, of environmental group Parks in Peril, presented thousands of petitions to the governor and the cabinet.
"If these activities become practice in our state parks, these citizens are committed to opposing these implementations," Huffman said.
Steverson said he'd take all concerns into consideration, but wouldn't take the idea off the table.
The governor and cabinet also reappointed Florida Department of Law Enforcement Chief Rick Swearingen, who received much more support from the four state officials.