Florida State Parks to close?

The Gainesville Sun broke this story last week, but I’d heard about it last weekend from a friend who just emailed me the memo this morning. Here’s the harsh reality – and one I predicted – of our governor’s push to lower property taxes. (Did yours go down? Ours went up). It’s cut into state coffers and every agency has been asked to put a plan forward to cut 10% of their current expenses. Here’s what Florida State Parks plans to do:

In order to reduce the Division of Recreation and Park’s statewide expenditures by 10 percent, a spending reduction plan was developed which includes, among other measures, the temporary closure of 19 state parks until the state’s economy improves and revenues return to normal levels. Temporarily closed parks would be placed into a “caretaker” status until they can be re-opened.

These 19 parks include:

• Yellow River Marsh Preserve State Park
• St. Marks River State Park
• Lake June-In-Winter Scrub State Park
• Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park
• Constitution Convention Museum State Park
• John Gorrie Museum State Park
• Deer Lake State Park
• Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park
• Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
• Terra Ceia Preserve State Park
• Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park
• Dunns Creek State Park
• San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park
• Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park
• Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
• Dudley Farm Historic State Park
• Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
• Florida Nature and Heritage Tourism Center
• Cedar Key Museum State Park

For the record, I’ve visited (and hiked, where there were trails) all of these except Kissimmee Prairie and St. Marks (it just opened). Now I’m a HUGE fan of Florida State Parks and the fact that they bring in enormous revenue to the state through tourism should not be ignored. As I did years ago when one of our local county commissioners wanted to sell a park because it didn’t make “enough” money or have “enough” visitation, I simply ask: why can’t a park just be a park? Why does it have to be an income stream?
On that note, here’s another part of the plan:

In addition to the 19 parks listed above, the spending reduction plan calls for the Division to return management of three state parks, which are not owned by the State of Florida, to their owners for future management.

The three properties to be returned to their owners are:

• Three Rivers State Park (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
• Forest Capital Museum State Park (Taylor County)
• Egmont Key State Park (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services)

I find it ironic that some of our smaller museums AND the tourism center are on the table, too. What does that say about fulfilling our promises to tourists who learn about this places and want to visit and take an interest in our state’s heritage? The folks in White Springs do a fabulous job and are the primary hub for the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. A closure of that facility affects the economic engine of White Springs: outdoor recreation. Including the Florida Trail, the restaurants, the outfitters … it’s trickle-down economics, remember?

On the big hit list above, I have one specific beef: many of these parks remain little-known but offer great getaways if you know what you’ll find there. For instance, I just wrapped up writing Exploring Florida’s Botanical Wonders for University Press of Florida. Did you know that Yellow River Marsh Preserve has the highest concentration of carnivorous pitcher plants in all of Florida? Or that Key Largo Hammocks has the highest concentration of National Champion trees in the United States? Tropical trees, of course, and none are over 45 feet tall. Indeed, of the above, Tarkiln Bayou, Lake June-in-Winter, Catfish Creek, Dunns Creek, Windley Key, and Kissimmee Prairie are also in my new book due to their incredible concentrations of botanical wonders.

Many of these parks share something else in common, too (excepting the museums): a general lack of infrastructure. In fact, Yellow River, Tarkiln Bayou, Lake June-in-Winter, Pumpkin Hill, Deer Lake, Catfish Creek, Terra Ceia, Letchworth, Dunns Creek, and Key Largo Hammock have nothing more than a parking lot and (in some cases, not all) a privy. Most of them are free. So what savings is there to close the park?

A dozen of the above-listed parks are also located in rural communities where they are a draw in places that otherwise have no other parks to attract visitors.

I’ll be writing Governor Crist, DEP Secretary Michael Sole, and Florida State Parks Director Mike Bullock about this issue. Frankly, I’m ashamed that after assembling such a fabulous state park system, our leaders would want to close parks at a time when folks need them the most. In an economic downturn like this, it’s far more affordable for a family to enjoy a day at a local park than to take a weekend trip. The same goes for visiting tourists as well.

If you’d like to express your opinions to our governmental officials about closings of Florida State Parks, please do. Here’s how to contact them by email:

Governor Charlie Crist
DEP Secretary Michael Sole
Florida State Parks Director Mike Bullock

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