PROPOSING A SWEEPING PLAN TO BUILD HOTELS, GOLF COURSES, AND OTHER AMENITIES AND NINE DIFFERENT STATE PARKS, PROMPTING WIDESPREAD CONCERN ABOUT HOW THAT COULD IMPACT NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. JOINING ME NOW IS MY FRIEND, JEFF CORWIN, WILDLIFE CONSERVATIONIST AND HOST OF WILDLIFE NATION WITH JEFF CORWIN. EXPLAIN, JEFF, WHY DOES DESANTIS PROPOSAL IS SEEING, BY THE WAY, BIPARTISAN CONCERN. LET'S TAKE THE POLITICS OUT OF IT. WHAT PART OF IT WORRIES YOU MOST? >> WELL, THE STATE PARKS IN FLORIDA ARE INCREDIBLY PRECIOUS PLACES OF WILD TREASURES THAT ARE UNIQUE TO FLORIDA. LET ME SAY THIS, ALEX. NO ONE DOES A STATE PARK LIKE FLORIDA. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, I'M A LITTLE PREJUDICED HERE, BUT FLORIDA HAS SOME OF THE BEST STATE PARKS IN THE UNITED STATES. STATE PARKS ARE CRITICAL BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE THEY IMPORTANT PLACES FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION AND CONNECTING WITH NATURE, NOT ONLY ARE THEY PLACES THAT HELP BUFFER THE STATE OF FLORIDA FROM FOREVER IMPACTING AND UNPREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS LIKE HURRICANES AND NATURAL DISASTERS, THESE STATE PARKS PROTECT THE IMPERILED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILDLIFE THAT ARE ENDEMIC FROM NOWHERE ELSE IN FLORIDA. A NUMBER OF THESE PARKS, FOR EXAMPLE, JONATHAN DICKINSON STATE PARK, IS THE LAST SURVIVING REFUGE FOR A NUMBER OF SPECIES LIKE THE RED COCKADED WOODPECKER. AND THE FLORIDA SCRUB JAY. THESE SPECIES COULD BE EXTINCT IF IT WASN'T FOR THESE PARKS. AND TO GO IN THERE AND CARVE OUT THIS ECOSYSTEM, TO PUT IN A GOLF COURSE, IT HAS ME FLUMMOXED BECAUSE ALREADY, FLORIDA HAS OVER 1200 GOLF COURSES. IN MARTIN COUNTY ALONE, ALEX, WHERE JONATHAN DIXON'S AND -- DICKINSON STATE PARK, THAT PARK, THAT REGION AS 30 WORLD- CLASS GOLF COURSES WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF EACH OTHER. SO WHY DOES THIS PARK NEED A GOLF COURSE? >> THAT'S A BIG QUESTION. BY THE WAY, I THINK THEY ARE AT 93,000 PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED ON TO PETITION ASKING THE SAME THING. THIS IS SOMETHING WE ARE VERY MUCH OPPOSED TO. BECAUSE OF ALL THIS BACKLASH, PLAN IN PERSON MEETINGS TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSAL, THEY HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO ACCOMMODATE MORE PEOPLE. THEY HAD ABOUT SIX DAYS OR SO TO REVIEW THE PLANS. THE FORMER STATE PARKS DIRECTOR SAID THAT THE DESANTIS ADMINISTRATION HAS SKIRTED THE LEGAL PROCESS FOR ONE THING, THEY SHOULD HAVE INFORMED ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THAT WOULD INCLUDE STATE AGENCIES AND STATE PARK EMPLOYEES. SO WHAT IS YOUR BEST GUESS AS TO WHY THEY ARE KEEPING THIS SECRET AND DO YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO GET AWAY WITH IT? >> I WAS SUPPOSED TO HEAD TO FLORIDA ON TUESDAY TO TESTIFY AND THAT GOT POSTPONED. I JUST WANT TO SAY, I DON'T GET INTO THE STICKY -- OF REGIONAL POLITICS. I'M A CONSERVATIONIST. I'M A WILDLIFE -- I'M AN ADVENTURE AND MY OPINION IS TO WORK WITH THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND YOU ARE RIGHT, ALEX, PEOPLE FROM ALL SIDES OF THE FENCES, OF DIVERSE POLITICAL VIEWS, TURKEY HUNTERS, PARTNERING UP WITH THE BIRDWATCHERS TO SAVE THESE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT RESOURCES FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. THAT, FOR ME, IS THE FOCUS POINT. I ALSO HAVE FAITH BECAUSE I BELIEVE BETTER HEARTS WILL PREVAIL HERE. THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FOR FLORIDA, THE FLORIDA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION, THE FLORIDA STATE PARKS ORGANIZATION. IT IS FILLED WITH PROFESSIONALS AND EXPERTS THAT ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT NATURE, THAT ARE DEDICATED. JUST LOOKING AT SCRUB JAYS RIGHT THERE. THESE BIRDS ONLY EXIST IN THESE CERTAIN PLACES. IF WE DON'T PROTECT THEM, THEY WILL DISAPPEAR. SO I HAVE HOPE THAT WE WILL PREVAIL. THIS IS A POWERFUL REMINDER, THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE PROVERBIAL BALL OR WE COULD JUST LOSE THIS PLACE ALTOGETHER. FLORIDA ALREADY -- HUGE THREATS IN THE LAST 15 YEARS, ALEX, FLORIDA HAS LOST OVER A QUARTER OF ITS SPACES TO DEVELOPMENT AND IN THE NEXT THREE DECADES, IT'S PREDICTED THAT FLORIDA IS GOING TO LOSE AN AREA THE SIZE OF VERMONT AND WILD SPACES AND WILDERNESS. THAT IS WHY THESE STATE PARTS ARE SO CRITICAL. THEY BELONG TO ALL OF US. NOT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE TODAY BUT THE NEXT GENERATION. WE HAVE TO DO IS BE RESILIENT THAT'S WHAT I AM SO EXCITED BECAUSE THIS ISSUE HAS GALVANIZED EVERYONE TO ENSURE THAT THE PARK SURVIVE. >> I HOPE THEY RESCHEDULE THAT PUBLIC DISCUSSION PERIOD AND LET YOU GET THERE AND MAKE YOUR PLEA RIGHT THERE AGAIN. THAT WOULD BE GREAT.