Florida's national parks bring in $855 million in visitor spending

It's not just Florida's theme parks like Epcot and SeaWorld bringing tourism dollars here. The Sunshine State gets more cash, jobs and visitors from national parks than most other states.

Driving the news: Florida's 11 national parks generated roughly $1.3 billion in economic contributions last year, according to a new report from the National Parks Service.

• Florida ranks No. 8 in park-related visitor spending — behind California, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, Arizona and Tennessee.

By the numbers: Last year, some 13.4 million visitors to national parks in Florida spent $855 million in the regions near the parks, known as gateway regions.

• That spending — on things like lodging, outfitters, and gas — supported 11,900 jobs, $441 million in labor income and $753 million in value added in the Florida economy.

Zoom in: Big Cypress generates some $228 million in visitor spending, the highest in Florida.

• Locally, De Soto National Memorial generated $14.5 million in gateway spending from some 222,000 park visitors. That spending supported 208 jobs and $7.4 million in labor income around De Soto.