Florida Congressional Democrats Call for Investigation and Records Release on Shelved Florida Parks Plan

Washington, September 5, 2024
"We insist that your office immediately turn over all public records that would lay out how such a hasty plan was ever conceived and direct the Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent formal investigation into what state procedures were violated, and which private parties lobbied for and stood to benefit from it,” says the letter from U.S. Reps. Wasserman Schultz, Castor, Soto, Frost and Cherfilus-McCormick.
Washington DC – Today, a group of Florida Congressional Democrats requested that Gov. Ron DeSantis release all records related to a controversial state parks development plan, and asked that the Florida Inspector General’s Office investigate how this proposal to open up these sensitive public spaces to new golf course and hotel projects was conceived and who stood to benefit from it.

“We insist that your office immediately turn over all public records that would lay out how such a hasty plan was ever conceived and direct the Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent formal investigation into what state procedures were violated, and which private parties lobbied for and stood to benefit from it,” says the letter from U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Darren Soto (FL-09), Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20). 

"Your proposal was quietly rushed into a public hearing process and timed to a summer travel period when residents were less likely to attend. It is also still not clear who is behind the plan. Given this destructive, veiled affront, the public is owed peace of mind, honesty and transparency,” the letter states.

Read the full letter here.