The University of South Florida’s Fletcher District development plan threatens a vital Tampa ecological sanctuary. If this project moves forward, it will replace the old Claw golf course with housing, retail, a hotel, and more—just steps from the 600-acre USF Forest Preserve, a critical habitat for Florida wildlife and a beloved research and recreation space for students and residents.

For years, the golf course has served as a buffer between the preserve and urban pressures like light pollution, noise, invasive species, and runoff. That buffer is essential. Without it, native species—including threatened snakes and countless birds—lose a key safe zone, and the ecological health of the preserve is put at risk. While USF promises to create a “buffer zone,” that’s a vague promise that can’t replace open space already supporting wildlife corridors and native regrowth.

This is about protecting land that’s at the very top of Hillsborough County’s conservation priority list. It’s about preserving a space where students conduct life-saving research and where locals find peace in nature. It’s about pushing back against the idea that every green space must turn a profit.

The Board of Governors may have approved this project, but construction can’t begin unless USF’s Board of Trustees votes to amend the campus master plan this December. That means we still have a chance to stop this.

We, the undersigned, call on the USF Board of Trustees to reject the proposed Fletcher District development and preserve the Claw golf course land as recreational/open space. Protect the forest preserve. Protect the wildlife. 

This is our last chance to say: Enough urban sprawl. Enough erasing nature. Let’s protect what’s left—before it’s gone for good.