Location changed for meeting on new Honeymoon Island campsites

A town hall meeting where state officials will discuss building new campsites on Honeymoon Island has been moved to a location that can accommodate more people."

The meeting will now be held 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hale Senior Center in Dunedin, 330 Douglas Ave. 

 The original location was the Dunedin Public Library across the street from the senior center.

The library's capacity is 100 people, Dunedin spokeswoman Courtney King said. The Hale Center can hold 250 people and has a better sound system, she said.

Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are holding the meeting to get more public input on plans to build 45 campsites on 17 acres of Honeymoon Island.

The 2,800-acre barrier island with its popular beaches is one of 56 state parks on a draft list that DEP officials say have the potential to add campsites. The state may hire private companies to build and operate the camping grounds, said Donald Forgione, DEP's park service director.

Forgione said the proposal for new campsites on Honeymoon Island and other state parks wasn't driven by budget cuts. Florida needs more camping areas to encourage visitors to experience outdoor activities and recreation, he said.

DEP oversees 160 parks and one-third of that number has full camping facilities. The 3,500 campsites in use now were built by the state and run by state employees.

Honeymoon Island Could See Private RV Campgrounds!!!

Is the state getting ready to allow private contractors to build and operate RV campgrounds at Honeymoon Island State Park?

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection wants to, saying it has plans to build 45 campsites on 17 acres of the 2,800-acre park — a move that has some up in arms.

The state could hire private companies to build and operate the camping grounds, which drew 1 million visitors last year and was on the list of the 25 most popular parks in Florida.
Florida Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said Wednesday that this is a major policy change requiring a thorough review.

“This is a magnificent place,” he told FOX 13 on Wednesday. “It’s a state treasure. It doesn’t need to be turned into a for-profit venue run by for-profit companies.”
The idea of private companies taking down trees, paving over parts of the park and moving onto the island has caused public outcry.

DEP officials are holding a town hall meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Hale Senior Center in Dunedin, where they will hear from people about the plans. Officials were initially going to hold it at the local library, but it was ruled that venue was too small.

Fasano said he hopes people show up and voice their concerns no matter what their opinion is of the proposal.

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LINK: Follow this link to see the proposal.

Honeymoon Island could see private RV campgrounds: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Honeymoon Island Campground Targeted!

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TAMPA (2011-6-29) -

Honeymoon Island has been the most-visited state park in Florida for several years. A proposal to be aired at a public hearing next week would make it even more accessible - to campers. But some Pinellas County residents aren't so open to the idea.

Terri Weeks contends Honeymoon Island is one of Pinellas' few remaining unspoiled beaches. She chairs the Coastal Task Force of the Suncoast Sierra Club., and says many people are concerned about the large footprint that would be used for RV camping.

"My understanding is it's going to disturb some gopher tortoise habitat - which is always very troubling," she says, "and we just don't think that intensive, more high-tech kind of use is really in keeping with the natural area that is the gem of Pinellas County, really."

Another big issue is Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to let private companies build and run the campground. That would be a sharp departure from previous state policy.

The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hale Senior Activity Center, 330 Douglas Ave., in Dunedin.

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