The Tampa Bay Times reported Saturday that a veterans nonprofit called Folds of Honor had pitched the idea of a golf course on Jonathan Dickinson State Park to at least two county and state leaders, and had also previously met with DeSantis. By Sunday, the group behind the latest Jonathan Dickinson plans — which lists the same address as Folds of Honor — backed away from the proposal.

Two Cabinet members, Simpson and Patronis, have both publicly opposed the new state park initiative. But both also approved the Hernando land swap deal in June.

When asked why Simpson voted for the deal, his office sent a brief statement that noted he voted for “the possibility of a land exchange” that still requires a vote of the Acquisition and Restoration Council. That same council would have to approve any broader proposed changes to the nine Florida state parks. Simpson has two appointees on that council.

The swap was also added to the Cabinet’s agenda at the last minute. Five days before the meeting, aides at a pre-meeting conference discussed every land deal except the one with Cabot Citrus. The land swap with Cabot Citrus was then added to the agenda through a process normally only used in extenuating circumstances, like approving items before a natural disaster, according to Barbara Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

“Agencies can also use it when they don’t want to give the public advanced notice of what they’re going to do,” Petersen told the Tampa Bay Times.

Several observers said the land swap was unusual.

Eric Draper, who served as the director of Florida’s state parks between 2017 and 2021, including under DeSantis, said giving up conservation land to expand a golf course is wrong. It also does not meet the voter-approved constitutional test of land being no longer needed for conservation, Draper said, nor was the public given adequate notice.

“The Cabinet cannot get in the habit of swapping out valuable land for less-valuable land every time a developer shows up,” Draper said. “In this case, the approval was fast-tracked and the environmental merits were not carefully evaluated. No appraisals were presented.”

The public land that would be given to Cabot Citrus is part of a contiguous wildlife corridor and was conserved to compensate for the environmental impacts of the Suncoast Parkway, Draper said. The land the company is offering in return is isolated from other conservation land, not on the state’s land acquisition wish list and not part of a wildlife corridor.

“Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for public and business interests to look at conservation lands and see ‘vacant’ land that they think would make a good location for another use. That’s why Florida has strong protections for its conservation lands, with a requirement that the state demonstrate that property is ‘no longer needed for conservation’ before it can be surplussed for other uses,” said Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida.

“The item from the June Cabinet agenda did not include the detail needed to make this determination and no doubt there will need to be a lot more information provided before (the Acquisition and Restoration Council) could even begin to consider any proposal for this parcel,” Wraithmell said.

When reached by phone Monday, a receptionist at Cabot Citrus Farms said the luxury golf resort offers two- and four-bedroom cottages and that the company plans to build homes along golf course fairways soon. Spokespeople for both the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

Cabot Citrus did not respond to requests for comment about the land swap, including voicemails left with its two Tallahassee lobbyists. One of those lobbyists is Sydney Ridley, daughter of Fred Ridley, the chairperson of the Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the annual Masters Tournament.