This letter is to correct misinformation and inaccuracies regarding Isla Blanca Park that have recently been published in letters to your opinion page, causing needless worry to residents and park users. By setting the record straight, I hope I can put your readers’ minds at ease.

To begin with, Cameron County is committed to preserving and expanding public access to public beaches — at Isla Blanca Park and elsewhere throughout the county. No project that reduces access to the public beach will proceed at Isla Blanca. On-site parking is part of beach access, and our expectation is that any project within Isla Blanca Park will expand public parking facilities and access to the beach.

On this subject, I would also like your readers to know that independent of any other project at Isla Blanca, Cameron County is seeking to expand amenities for beach users, such as showers, restrooms, pavilions and additional parking, which we are considering financing through a bond issue.

As many visitors and residents of South Padre Island know, businesses have come and gone — along with construction — without harming public access to the park or the beach. Many people enjoy businesses like the Dolphin Cove Oyster Bar, Sea Ranch Restaurant and Marina. They enjoy visiting attractions like the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, University of Texas-Pan American Marine Lab and the Chapel by the Sea. And they enjoyed visiting places that are now gone, such as The Jetties restaurant, the old convention pavilion and the former hotel that stood where the RV spaces are now located.

Secondly, some writers have claimed that any development at Isla Blanca Park would displace the Boy Scouts of America, who have a facility in the park. The Boy Scouts are an important part of the park, and so long as I have a say in it, they aren’t going anywhere.

I would also like to address reports that condominiums will be contracted at the park, which would entail a sale of park property. This will not happen. Isla Blanca Park will always belong to the public, and we will not allow condos to be built in the park, or for any part of the park to be sold. Let me say this again: Isla Blanca Park will never be sold!

Isla Blanca Park is Cameron County’s most popular park, and an exciting and dynamic destination. It is a different place today than it was 20 years ago, and I know that as it continues to evolve, it will continue to meet the needs of all Cameron County residents.

Gilberto Hinojosa
Cameron County judge
Brownsville