About 1,300 acres of Texas coast are in play, and Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa wants the sale frozen. She asked state officials to stop any move to sell part of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX until she takes office in January. If the sale goes through, Texans could lose public beach access to land that belongs to all of them.
Hinojosa held her first news conference since winning on Thursday, Nov. 5. She said she had spoken with the head of Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD). She asked the agency to take no action until she is sworn in, KURV reported. The land sits in Cameron County, in and around the park.
The TPWD Commission planned to discuss the matter Thursday. According to the San Antonio Current, the agency pulled that agenda item at her request. That detail comes from Hinojosa’s own account. TPWD has not publicly responded, and neither have SpaceX, Musk or Gov. Greg Abbott.
She wasn’t subtle about where she stands. On CNN, she called the idea of “selling our beach to Elon Musk” something that is “almost unimaginable. It’s unacceptable,” according to a transcript of the interview. Of the land itself, she said, “It’s such an important resource.”
How the Boca Chica State Park land sale talk started
The story broke in October. Texas Monthly reported, citing sources, that the state was considering selling the land to SpaceX. The Texas Tribune then reviewed a draft TPWD agenda for a closed-door talk on 1,300 acres in Cameron County. TPWD asked the Texas Attorney General’s office to block release of that agenda, the Tribune reported.
Yes, the state fought to keep its own agenda secret.
Abbott said Oct. 19 that a sale was “not coming up for a vote anytime soon.” He added that he knew little about the details. Hinojosa made it a campaign issue in the final weeks, and she beat him on Nov. 3. She became the first Democrat elected Texas governor in more than three decades, according to CBS News. Her transition plans are already taking shape.
What we don’t know about the SpaceX state park land sale
A lot of this is murkier than the headlines make it sound. No sale has been approved, and reports describe a closed-door discussion, not a vote. The Tribune says any final vote would have to happen in open session. SpaceX as the buyer rests on Texas Monthly’s sources, because nobody on the record from TPWD or SpaceX has confirmed it. The acreage also varies by report. The park itself is roughly 1,060 acres, while the 1,300-acre figure comes from the draft agenda and covers more than the park. And the pause is only a request, since Hinojosa isn’t governor yet and can’t legally order anything.
Why Boca Chica beach matters to Texans
For a lot of people in the Rio Grande Valley, this is personal. “The Valley is so important to me as the place I am from, and I will never forget it,” Hinojosa said, per Click2Houston. She also told CNN that the state constitution enshrines Texas beaches as free and open to the public.
SpaceX has been inching toward this coastline for years. In 2024, TPWD agreed to give SpaceX 43 acres of the park, but SpaceX later pulled out. Last month, the city of Starbase completed an annexation of more than 7,100 acres that covers much of Boca Chica State Park.
Texas law lets TPWD sell land if ownership is no longer in the department’s best interest. The proceeds must go toward other land with the same purpose. A sale of an entire state park would be rare.
What happens next for the Boca Chica land, Hinojosa and Musk
Hinojosa isn’t picking a fight with the state’s most famous rocket company. She told CNN Texas can have a strong working relationship with Musk and his companies, “but it has to be on our terms.” SpaceX and Tesla are both headquartered in Texas. Musk is planning a chipmaking venture here too, so those terms are about to matter a lot. His recent warnings about global bankruptcy show how much attention follows him.
The fight also fits a bigger pattern, as voters push back on Big Tech’s footprint. Hinojosa has pledged data center laws and a moratorium, and now she has to deliver.
No new date has surfaced for the commission’s discussion. The Attorney General’s ruling on whether the draft agenda stays secret is still pending. Hinojosa takes office in January. The real question is whether anyone tries to move before then, and whether a public beach can be sold out from under the public that owns it.
