Report: Florida parks in need of major investment
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A motorhome parked at Hillsborough River State Park. Photo: MyLoupe/UIG Via Getty Images
Florida's state park system would need nearly $760 million to complete all of its outstanding repairs over the next decade, according to a recent report by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Why it matters: Tens of millions of people visited the state's award-winning parks and generated more than $75 million in revenue in the last fiscal year.
- That's despite aging infrastructure and many outdated facilities.
Follow the money: Of the $759 million needed, nearly $500 million would cover repairs to visitor centers, cabins, pavilions and restrooms; $75 million would be used to replace and upgrade wastewater infrastructure.
- Another $20 million would go toward Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, and $174 million would be used for road repaving.
Between the lines: The state Department of Environmental Protection produced the report and submitted it to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature in keeping with the State Parks Preservation Act.
- The law, which also banned the construction of golf courses, hotels, and pickleball courts in state parks, reoriented park management toward "conservation-based recreational uses."
- To that end, the report details all planned construction, estimates the cost of the maintenance and repair work needed across Florida's state parks, and outlines a plan to bring that total down by 2035.
Zoom in: About $1.4 billion in new construction and development projects are planned throughout the state park system; these include glamorous camping, or "glamping," sites at Alafia River State Park.
- Other planned projects include a floating dock at Weekie Wachee Springs, an observation platform at Homosassa Springs, and bathhouses and pole barns at Hillsborough River and Honeymoon Island.
- The projects were approved via a public process and are intended to "expand recreational opportunities... while maintaining the ecological integrity of state parks," per the report.