The Poker Amendment

Recently, I moaned about the three “P’s" - pollution, politics, and policies in an article I wrote. Today, I find myself still moaning about the three “P’s” as we are now fully into the spring Florida legislative session.

One reason I am such a skeptic about the three “P’s” is due to a man named John Pennekamp, Jr. I happened to be on board a ship with John for a week while traveling along the East Coast some years back. John shared many stories with me along the voyage south from the Chesapeake Bay to Jacksonville. And one of them, which I will never forget, shaped my view on politics forever more.

John’s father, John Pennekamp, Sr., was the associate editor at The Herald in Miami in 1947. Pennekamp Sr. was invited to attend the dedication ceremony for Everglades National Park. Pennekamp Sr. was a good friend of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The two of them worked together to preserve the Everglades. Douglas published her book “River of Grass” to raise awareness about the Everglades. And Pennekamp, Sr. wrangled up the money to buy the land, creating Everglades National Park.

In the spring of 1947, Pennekamp Sr. made way to Tallahassee for the spring legislative session. Pennekamp Sr. was looking for funding to buy land. This was no easy task as the land he wanted to buy was considered a swamp by almost everyone.

As the story goes, many of the most powerful “pork-choppers,” as they were called back in the day, gathered the weekend before the Florida legislative session at a hunting camp in North Florida. There, deals would be made shaping the outcome of the upcoming legislative session.  

Pennekamp, Sr. managed to get invited to the camp gathering on Horseshoe Lake. A traditional chicken dinner with all the fixings was served, followed by a friendly game of poker.

Herald editor John McDermott writes the following account as given to him by Pennekamp, Sr., about the “nickel and dime” poker game deep in the Ocala National Forest.

The Herald editor seemed blessed. Hand after hand came his way. And, when he did not draw the right cards, his poker-faced bluffing – made easy by his Germanic stoicism – worked.

Finally, one of the most powerful senators drew a hand that he was sure was a winner. B.C. “Bill” Pearce of East Palatka kept raising the ante until all the others, except Pennekamp, Sr. folded.

At last, the editor matched the pot, and Pearce triumphantly laid down his hand and reached out to gather the chips.

“Sorry, Bill,” the newsman said, revealing his own cards. “You’ll have to do something about all these kings.”

The exasperated Pearce exploded: “Just how much money do you need for that goddam park of yours?”

Pennekamp, Sr. had intended to ask the legislature for $400,000, enough to begin acquiring some land. But he was feeling lucky.

“Two million,” he said, no doubt wearing that same poker face.

The senator replied: “Why don’t you come over to the Legislature and get your money instead of trying to take it out of our pockets?”

True to Pearce’s word, on April 14, 1947, the state appropriations bill was introduced in the Senate and promptly amended to include $2 million for the Everglades, a provision that would come to be called “the poker amendment.” It sailed through the chamber without dissent. Ten days later, it cleared the House, went to the governor, and became law.

John Pennekamp, Sr., was a talented writer and editor noted for his creative ability to convey a sense of place. He was also a great poker player. Pennekamp, Sr., died in 1978. His name was honored by being given to the state’s coral reef park on Key Largo: Pennekamp Park.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas lived to be 108 years old. Her ashes were scattered over Everglades National Park, a place she loved and worked so hard to protect.

As fun as this story may be, it saddens me to think that this is how the three “P’s” work. The preservation of important natural resources like the Everglades rests in the hands of politicians who really do not give a damn one way or another in most situations.

Thank you to the Pennekamp family of writers and storytellers. And, thank you to Marjory Stoneman Douglas, whose wild spirit flows through the river of grass, inspiring us to stand up and fight for the preservation of our natural resources.