19 Florida State Parks Closing?
November 15th, 2008
This past Veteran’s Day we headed up to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park located in Homosassa Florida (article coming soon. subscribe to be notified) to take some photos and enjoy the day. We were also excited to learn about the addition of Weeki Watchee Springs to the list of parks.
Sadly on this same day, a day when entrance fees were free to all people, the Department of Environmental Protection announced that in order to meet Gov. Charlie Crist’s budget cuts, the Division of Recreation and Parks proposed closing 19 of our state parks temporarily all because Gov. Charlie Crist asked all state agencies to cut 10% of their operating costs for the 2009-10 fiscal year.
Even though this has been proposed, and could very well happen, it still has to pass legislature during the next legislative season which opens in March. If it happens the parks will be closed temporarily and according to a state parks spokeswoman, Florida would reopen the parks when the economy improves.
According to the Gainesville Sun, the parks under consideration for closure are:
- Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park Holt, Florida (Santa Rosa County)
- St. Marks River State Park, Leon County (Not on our list?)
- Lake June-In-Winter Scrub State Park in Sebring, Florida (Highlands County)
- Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park in Jacksonville, Florida (Nassau County)
- Constitution Convention Museum State Park in Port St. Joe, Florida (Gulf County)
- John Gorrie Museum State Park in Apalachicola, Florida (Franklin County)
- Deer Lake State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (Walton County)
- Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek State Park in Haines City, Florida (Polk County)
- Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park in Pensacola, Florida (Escambia County)
- Terra Ceia Preserve State Park, Manatee County(Not on our list?)
- Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park in Monticello, Florida (Jefferson County)
- Dunns Creek in Pomona Park, Florida (Putnum County)
- San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park in St. Marks, Florida (Wakulla County)
- Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park in Islamorada, Florida (Monroe County)
- Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park in Key Largo, Florida (Monroe County)
- Dudley Farm Historic State Park in Newberry , Florida (Alachua County)
- Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park in Okeechobee, Florida (Okeechobee County)
- Nature and Heritage Tourism Center, Hamilton County ( ? )
- Cedar Key Museum State Park in Cedar Key, Florida (Levy County)
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they decide to do the right thing and look to closing our State Parks as a last resort. Hopefully they’ll do the right thing and cut the overpaid employees that are higher up the ladder. why pay them $200k/year ( example ) when someone will do it for 70k ( another example ). and probably do a better job while they’re at it.
Feel free to let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.
It’s so sad that the people who get paid the most interact with the actual parks and the people who enjoy them the least. I know for a fact that’s rampant in the National Park Service, and I can only assume that’s the case for Fl State Parks. I wish we (Florida govt) could stop paying people who work in offices such ridiculous amounts and really focus on the resource rather than the bureaucracy surrounding it.
That said, let’s keep our fingers crossed that parks don’t close down at all!!!
Comment by Ashleigh — November 16, 2008 @ 11:42 am
Hey Ashleigh, First off thank you for the comment. we don’t get many so we really do appreciate each and every one of them. As far as all of this goes, Pam and I couldn’t agree more and feel that you’re spot on with your assessment.
We’re not affiliated with any government agency or anything. We do this because we enjoy it. Florida’s State Parks are a way for us to get out there and get away from our daily lives. I’m sure not everyone feels like we do about the parks but those are the people who have probably never been to one and can’t appreciate them like we do.
We’ll just have to keep our heads up and hope for the best. Thank you again.
Comment by admin — November 16, 2008 @ 12:23 pm