Hey Boo Boo, Rick Scott Wants To Privatize State Parks!

by Stuart Shapiro

I just finished watching the movie “Yogi Bear” with my kids about 50 times (OK it was really three times and seemed like 50).  The basic plot is that an evil mayor wants to sell Jellystone and Yogi, Boo Boo, and Ranger Smith must team up to stop him.  Well life is imitating art in Florida (h/t Washington Independent):

Displaying contempt for the public and the environment, Gov. Rick Scott’s Department of Environmental Protection has provided only scant notice of its plan to turn over portions of up to 56 state parks to private corporations to build and run campgrounds. As early as next week, the department could decide to move forward on four parks, including Honeymoon Island State Park in Pinellas County. Such radical policy changes affecting some of the state’s most prized natural assets deserve far more public vetting and consideration.

Let’s hope these plans never see the light of day because despite what my younger son may think, Yogi Bear is not real and he’s not coming around to stop the evil governor.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.