{"id":179444,"date":"2026-02-25T09:29:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/179444\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T09:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T09:29:17","slug":"patrick-urges-dshs-to-not-grant-camp-mystic-camping-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/179444\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrick urges DSHS to not grant Camp Mystic camping license"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEXAS \u2014 Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is recommending that the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) not grant Camp Mystic a new camping license, according to a letter posted on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The camp near Hunt, Texas, saw 27 campers and counselors die in Fourth of July floods last year. In the post, Patrick said that he does not feel comfortable sending his grandchildren to the camp given those events, and that they should have suspended operations until the investigation was finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be na\u00efve to allow Camp Mystic to return to normal operations before all of the facts are known,\u201d Patrick said in the letter. \u201cCamp Mystic should have decided on their own to suspend operations this coming summer, but it appears they are planning for camp in 2026 and will likely be seeking your approval to operate with a renewed license.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sent the following letter to @TexasDSHS<\/a> urging them not to issue a 2026 camping license to Camp Mystic.<\/p>\n

Later this spring, the Texas Senate will hold a joint investigative hearing with the Texas House on the 27 little girls who died in Camp Mystic\u2019s custody last summer.\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/31xuDrx0e3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Office of the Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (@LtGovTX) February 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The letter follows a federal\u00a0lawsuit<\/a> that was filed by the parents of the deceased against the state of Texas. The suit alleges that the camp did not have proper evacuation procedures in place and was negligent in its handling of the flood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe DSHS officials responsible for licensing youth camps deliberately looked the other way,\u201d Yetter said in a written statement. \u201cWhile Camp Mystic bears responsibility and is also being sued, state officials knew the camp\u2019s emergency plan lacked a required evacuation component and still licensed the camp as safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

As first reported by the Texas Tribune<\/a>, Mikal Watts, Camp Mystic\u2019s attorney, has stated that the camp is following state law. State Rep. Wes Virdell, R-Brady, whose district includes Camp Mystic, posted on X<\/a> his disagreement with Patrick\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe camp is not reopening the same cabins that were in the flood,\u201d Virdell said. \u201cAlso, the camp was hit with an unprecedented flood that has not been seen in centuries, and Camp Mystic is the first camp to install the new flood warning systems way ahead of help from the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Virdell continued in his post that he believes this is purely a political charge against the camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cI offered amendments that would have fixed the camp safety bill and instead we are facing a lot of camp closures that have zero flood risk,\u201d Virdell said. \u201cI am strongly of the belief that this bill was directly targeted at shutting Camp Mystic down and the charge was led by some very strong political influencers behind the scenes. Now that Camp Mystic has managed to make it through the excessive requirements of the bill, it looks like they are trying to take the camp down through another route.\u201d<\/p>\n

The families of the Camp Mystic victims have been active in safety advocacy<\/a> across the country with similar camps. It is unknown what the future of Camp Mystic will be after pending lawsuits and government investigations.<\/p>\n