Toddlers and outdoor activity

I keep reading about letting 1-3 year olds play outside and on the grass. As much as I really want this, I feel like it’s way too impossible with where I live in FL. Not even talking about eating grass and dirt, I’m really worried about fire ants, grass stickers, and a whole mess of annoying painful things my child could run into.

My question is -

Has anyone found success in introducing their toddlers to outdoor play in an area festering with angry bugs and stabby plants? How did you do it? And what age was your child? How do you get over the anxiety?

UPDATE: This is a little more complicated than I originally posted, ahem - just so you guys know - I live in an area that was DEVASTATED by a hurricane a year ago. Nice lawns are just not a thing right now, public or private, and are not going to be for a while. There’s still broken glass on the ground in some places here. I just wanted to know if there is something I can do to introduce my toddler to the outdoors that I’m not thinking of. Am I a horrible mom if we just give up on best intentions and stay inside?