FLORIDA, USA — A host of ‘Love Fest’ events are set to be held across Florida in April in an effort to stop the potential development of state parks.

Last summer, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposed a plan to build hotels, golf courses and other amenities on state parks.

Two bills aiming to keep those kind of developments off state parks — Senate Bill 80 and House Bill 209 — are currently moving through the Florida Legislature.

“We are preserving our state park[s] for what they were originally intended for,” Senator Gayle Harrell of South Florida said when she presented SB 80 to the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on Feb. 11.

Representatives from environmental groups who were present during the meeting asked for a few word changes to the bill to close loopholes when it comes to things slipping through, such as construction of large marinas.

Now, it seems the Sierra Club shares the same concerns as some who were in the February Senate committee meeting.

Cris Costello, senior organizing manager for the Sierra Club Florida chapter, told First Coast News Friday the way the bills are currently written and amended “cannot prevent the development threats we fought to stop last year.”

Costello explained that as a result, the national grassroots environmental organization will hold several ‘Love Fests,’ or protests, across the Sunshine State in April, with the first set starting Saturday.

The organization is requesting the following changes to be made in the bills:

• The removal of weak language that would permit the inappropriate development of state parks (i.e. “compatible,” “minimizing,” and “maximum extent practicable”);
• The removal of language that encourages the development of disturbed uplands;
• The insertion of strong language prohibiting material disturbance to the natural features and prohibiting the introduction of artificiality to the natural scenery;
• The insertion of language that prioritizes preservation, protection, and restoration of the environment over public recreation; and the insertion of language that adds aesthetic, cultural, and educational management purposes, and clarifies that recreational purposes should be passive.

Below is a list of the ‘Love Fests’ the organization has planned:

Anastasia Island State Park Love Fest

300 Anastasia Park Rd., St. Augustine, FL 32080

Organizations: Save Anastasia State Park Facebook Group, Sierra Club of Northeast Florida

• Contact: Desiree Woods, Desireenicolesanders27@gmail.com, 281-939-3285
• RSVP and details

Love Fest at Circle B Bar Reserve

4399 Winter Lake Rd., Lakeland, FL 33803

Organization: Sierra Club Tampa Bay Inspiring Connections Outdoors (ICO)

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Love Fest

6503 N. Ocean Dr., Dania Beach, FL 33004

Organizations: Broward Sierra Club Group, Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, Right to Clean Water

• Contact: Tiffany Grantham, grantham.tiffany@gmail.com, 954-673-1630
• RSVP and details

Fort Pierce Inlet State Park Love Fest

905 Shorewinds Dr., Fort Pierce, FL 34949

Organization: Conservation Alliance of St. Lucie County

• Contact: Shari Anker, sranker@icloud.com
• Details: 9 a.m. light brunch and discussion, 10 a.m. short hike, 10:30 to 11 a.m. take action

Honeymoon Island State Park Love Fest

1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin, FL 34698

Organizations: Suncoast Group Sierra Club

• Contact: Michael McGrath, michael.mcgrath@sierraclub.org, 386-341-4708
• RSVP and details

Jonathan Dickinson State Park Love Fest

16450 SE Federal Hwy., Hobe Sound, FL 33455

Organizations: Friends of the Everglades, Guardians of Martin County, Indian Riverkeeper, Loxahatchee Group Sierra Club, Vote Water

Oleta River State Park Love Fest

3400 NE 163rd St., North Miami Beach, FL 33160

Organization: Sierra Club Florida

• Contact: Marcelo Balladares, marcelo.balladares@sierraclub.org, 786-414-4976
• RSVP and details

Oscar Scherer State Park Love Fest

1843 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey, FL 34229

Organizations: Sierra Club Florida

• Contact: Cris Costello, cris.costello@sierraclub.org, 941-914-0421
• RSVP and details

Payne’s Prairie State Park Love Fest

100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy, FL 32667

Organizations: Suwannee-St. Johns Group Sierra Club

Suwannee River State Park Love Fest

3631 201st Path, Live Oak, FL 32060

Organization: Suwanee-St. Johns Group Sierra Club

• Contact: Lauren Jorgensen, laurenjorgensen@gmail.com, 561-309-3096
• RSVP and details

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park Love Fest

6131 Commercial Way, Weeki Wachee, FL 34606

Organizations: Adventure Coast Group Sierra Club, Hernando Audubon

• Contact: DeeVon Quirolo, sierraclubadventurecoastcc@gmail.com, 352-277-3330
• RSVP and details

Wekiwa Springs State Park Love Fest

1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, FL 32712

Organizations: Central Florida Group Sierra, Friends of the Wekiva River

• Contact: Courtney Howell, courtney.howell0922@gmail.com, 816-812-8333
• RSVP and details
  • Because Wekiwa Springs State Park recently implemented a day-use reservation pilot program, Love Fest attendees will need to identify themselves as part of the Love Fest group using the reserved Live Oak Pavilion to gain admittance to the park.

Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park Love Fest

7450 NE 60th St., High Springs, FL 32643

Organizations: Stand Up 4 Springs (SU4S), Unlitter, and Sierra Club Suwannee-St. Johns Group

Manatee Springs State Park Love Fest

11650 NW 115 St., Chiefland, FL 32626

Organizations: RURL Residents United for Rural Levy, Suwannee-St. Johns Group Sierra Club

O’Leno State Park Love Fest

410 SE O’Leno Park Rd., High Springs, FL 32643

Organization: Suwannee-St. Johns Group Sierra Club

• Contact: Maryvonne Devensky, maryvonne.deven@gmail.com, 352-871-1606
• RSVP and details

Hillsborough River State Park Love Fest

15402 U.S. 301 North, Thonotosassa, FL 33592

Organization: Florida Voices for Animals

• Contact: Myriam Parham, fvaonline@yahoo.com, 727-656-8368
• Details: Nature walk led by Dani Hall (ecologist, naturalist, and gardener) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.