Closing Florida State Parks Makes No Sense

Closing Florida State Parks Makes No Sense

By SANDRA FRIEND
Author, Hiker’s Guide to the Sunshine State

A family driving through Florida on vacation sees a state park sign and makes a turn off US 27. A few minutes later, they reach the main gate of Dudley Farm Historic State Park. The gate is locked, with a sign: "Closed for 2009."

Unlikely? Not at all. This fall, Governor Charlie Crist asked all state agencies to trim 10% or more from their 2009 budgets. To meet that request, Florida State Parks recommends closure of 19 state parks and the "return" of 3 state parks to their original owners to allow these budget cuts while avoiding layoffs of personnel.

The list of parks at risk of closure in 2009 includes several archaeological sites, significant Civil War historical sites, important botanical sites, and one of the largest preserves in Florida. All were chosen due to their low attendance. Some are museums that already have limited hours. Many have no entrance fees at all. Those that are not museums are primarily parks for passive recreation, where you can take a hike, ride your horse, or add bird sightings to your life list. The state of Florida was just named the "Top Trails State in the Nation" by American Trails, and many of these sites offer unique trails to explore.

Why keep these parks open? First, there’s the promise made to visitors to Florida through brochures, maps, and guidebooks that our award-winning Florida State Parks system is open for business. Visitors to Florida are increasingly seeking nature-based tourism, to the tune of 20.7 million visitors to Florida State Parks in 2007, which brought an estimated billion dollars to Florida’s economy. But closing specific parks "because they don’t make money" is a dangerous precedent to set. Public lands are about stewardship for the common good. The fact that we profit from ours overall shouldn’t set one park against another in competition for income.

Second, there’s the cheap date. The economy’s sour. You need a place to take the family. Where better to go than your local state park? Although tourism is down in most sectors, visits to parks and campgrounds are up, according to reports given at the December 2008 VISIT FLORIDA board meeting. Many of the parks at risk are in rural parts of Florida, where they help stimulate the local economy.

Finally, there’s the egg on our face. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attempted to do the same this year and backed off after hearing from an angry public.

With our legislature convening January 5, time is of the essence. Contact Governor Crist, DEP Secretary Michael Sole, Florida State Parks Director Michael Bullock, and your state legislators to express your displeasure with their plans, which would only save 0.003 percent of the $66 billion dollar state budget. Better to raise entrance fees or cut hours statewide to cover the need for expense reduction than close parks entirely.

 

For a full list of state parks at risk of closure, at http://floridahikes.com/stateparkissues.