Who proposed golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson state park?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Over the weekend, the non-profit organization involved in the proposal to build golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park changed course, abandoning the plans.

In a statement to CBS12 News, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation had a good-faith proposal and we are looking forward to working with them in the future.

But how this proposal came about is still shrouded in mystery. First, these proposals were leaked by a Tampa newspaper. Then, the FDEP quietly added the proposals to their website.

“If you attach a golf course to a charity, everybody sort of gets a warm and fuzzy feeling and ‘oh, it's for a good cause!’” said Rufus Wakeman.

See Also: Environmentalists weigh in on golf courses at state parks

Like the community at large, he questioned how three golf courses were proposed for the preserved park.

“How did they get the ear of Governor DeSantis,” said Wakeman. “How did this even become a thing?”

On Friday, CBS12 News received an email from what appeared to be the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation.

Attached to the email was a new release announcing they were behind the proposal and its design “will tell the inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II.”

CBS12 News responded to the email with some follow-up questions but no answers.

By Sunday, another email – this one backtracking – stating due to the ‘clear feedback’ from the public, they would not pursue building the golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protections confirmed with CBS12 News that the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation had pulled its proposal.

But what is this organization?

The foundation shares an Oklahoma address with Folds of Honor, a nationally recognized charity that funds scholarships for the families of slain and disabled service members.

According to the Folds of Honor website, they help build golf courses under the name “American Dunes.”

CBS12 News tried calling their General Manager Doug Bell for more information about their connection, but our call went unanswered.

“I’m sure the intentions were good to a point, but it’s unacceptable to do it in a state park,” said Wakeman.