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The newly reappointed head of an important state agency has some controversial ideas for state parks, but as Matt Galka tells us, top state officials told him to reconsider.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jon Steverson was reappointed by the Governor and Cabinet Wednesday, but not before some serious grilling. The issue – Steverson is kicking around the idea of opening up Florida’s state parks to cattle grazing, timber harvesting, and even hunting. He says it’s about self-sustainability.

“I want to say hey what can we do to make our parks the most beneficial to the citizens of the state, to the visitors of the state, and to the environment which we’re serving,” he said.

But the idea doesn’t sit well with Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam.

“They’re not going to be self-sustainable and what it would take to manage a park to be self-sustainable would be unacceptable to the reasons why we got it,” Putnam told Steverson.

Florida’s state parks system has been nationally recognized nationally with three gold medals from the National Recreation and Park Association.

Opponents of the idea said that privatizing the parks won’t help the state win any more awards.

Park advocate Jono Miller said that opening the parks up won’t send the right message to Floridians.

“Hearing chainsaws, dead deer, and cows are not going to get us a fourth gold medal,” he said.

Jean Huffman with environmental group Parks in Peril presented thousands of petitions to the Governor and cabinet.

“If these activities become practice in our state parks these citizens are committed to opposing these implementations,” she said.

Steverson said he’d take all concerns into consideration, but wouldn’t totally take the idea off the table.

The Governor and Cabinet also reappointed FDLE chief Rick Swearingen who received much more support from the four state officials.