SAN ANTONIO – State Sen. Joan Huffman is urging state regulators to deny Camp Mystic a license for the 2026 season as investigations continue into the deadly July 2025 floods at the camp.

Huffman, who represents constituents including families affected by the flooding, sent a letter to the Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday calling for the agency to withhold any 2026 license for the camp. Her request aligns with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who sent a letter to DSHS last month.

In her letter, Huffman wrote, “As a Texas State Senator representing constituents—including grieving families who tragically lost their beloved daughter in the devastating July 2025 floods at Camp Mystic—I am profoundly troubled and heartbroken by the camp’s ongoing efforts to recruit participants for the upcoming 2026 summer season.”

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She continued, “That is why I am strongly urging the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to withhold issuing any 2026 license to Camp Mystic at this time.”

Huffman cited ongoing legislative investigations into the flooding. “The Texas Senate, through a dedicated General Investigating Committee on the July 2025 Flooding Events—working in close coordination with a House Investigating Committee—is fully committed to a comprehensive, fact-finding review of all contributing factors that led to this tragedy,” she wrote. “Until this thorough investigative process is complete, it would be irresponsible to allow operations to resume under a new license.”

DSHS told reporters that Camp Mystic has not yet applied for a 2026 license. “At this point, Camp Mystic has not applied for a 2026 license,” the agency said in a statement. “We’ve asked camps to submit applications no later than March 31 to ensure there is enough time to review them and do the required inspections before camp season begins.”

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Huffman also called on the camp’s owners to halt reopening plans voluntarily. “In addition to DSHS denying or delaying the 2026 license pending the investigations’ conclusions, I call on the owners of Camp Mystic to voluntarily pause all plans for reopening,” she wrote. “Out of basic decency and respect for the victims’ families—who continue to plead for this—pushing forward at this moment is simply not the right thing to do.”

“We owe it to these grieving parents, to the memory of every child and counselor lost, and to the safety of future generations to put people first,” Huffman wrote. “Safety must always come before business as usual. I support these families, and I will continue advocating fiercely on their behalf until accountability is fully achieved.”

As of March 6, Camp Mystic has not applied for a 2026 license. Applicants have been asked not to apply for licenses any later than March 31, allowing adequate time to plan for the season.

Camp Mystic organizers have previously stated that the camp will be operating for the Summer of 2026.

Last summer, 27 campers and counselors, including the camp’s longtime executive director, died as heavy flooding pushed through the campground.