On December 8, the Florida Legislature approved and  Governor Crist  signed a resolution naming 2010 as the “Year of Florida State Parks.”  What a contrast from a year ago when we were fighting to keep them open.  In signing the resolution, the Governor stated:
“Florida State Parks not only preserve our state’s beautiful natural environment, but [...]

Governor Charlie Crist declared July Florida Park and Recreation Month, so take the opportunity this holiday weekend to get out and have fun at a park near you! Whether it’s a short walk on a nice boardwalk like the one at Cooter Park in Inverness, or an afternoon swimming and sunning on Caledesi Island, Florida [...]

Despite the Governor’s wishes, our legislature is pushing to cut the DEP budget so severely that the Office of Greenways & Trails may shut down entirely. This is NOT good news for the state just named the top Trails state in the United States by American Trails this fall.  Here’s an op-ed by Elaine McLaughlin, [...]

58 state parks at risk now! This one’s coming from the legislature, not unexpectedly. Although the Governor’s budget calls for increased fees to help offset shortfalls in the DEP budget, the legislature is discussing a plan submitted by DEP to cut costs by closing 58 state parks mid-week for the fiscal year. The criteria? Parks [...]

The good news is in from several sources, most importantly, confirmed by DEP: the Governor’s budget covers the funding gap needed to keep ALL of our Florida State Parks open, and includes an ask for increased fees from the more heavily used state parks to help cover future shortfalls to ensure proper stewardship of ALL [...]