Our own State Senator, longtime Tallahassee lobbyist John Thrasher (R-Beach condo), made the controversial proposal that has inspired me today to revise the proposal for our St. Augustine National Historical Park, Seashore and Scenic Coastal Parkway.
Controversial State Senator John Thrasher and other Tallahassee politicians recently wanted to steal state parks for golf courses.
No way. The people have been heard and heeded. The bill is dead in the water.
But we’ve learned our lesson from the disrespect Thrasher showed to our environmental heritage.
Prediction: We’re going to preserve and protect our environmental and historic heritage here in St. Augustine, including a National Civil Rights Museum at the site of the moribund San Sebastian Inner Harbor project, with shops, restaurants, a working waterfront with shrimp boats at the docks, and artists and entertainers in the public space, as at Key West’s Mallory Square. We've also added an I-95 interchange for West Augustine and King Street.
Inspired, I’ve expanded the scope of the St. Augustine National Historical Park, Seashore and Scenic Coastal Parkway Act to include state parks and beaches in Flagler County, also adding Haitian and Cuban history to the findings and purposes sections.
I've also added funding for an I-95 interchange serving West Augustine and King Street.
We’re proposing an “emerald necklace of parks,” with a civil rights component, stretching from the Duval County line to the Volusia County line – bigger than Cape Cod National Seashore, with 11,000 years of human history, celebrating indigenous (Native-American), African-American, Spanish, Minorcan, Greek, Cuban, Haitian, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, British, American, Civil War, military, nautical, Flagler-era and Civil Rights history, including some ten current state parks and Water Management District lands.
State Senator John Thrasher, thanks for your inspiration – we’ve made our park proposal stronger.
What do you reckon?
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