53 State Parks Proposed for Closure

[riverkeepered]

Here are the 53 Florida state parks proposed for closure:
Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park, Haines City
Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park, Stuart
Big Shoals State Park, White Springs
Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park, Flagler Beach
Camp Helen State Park, Panama City Beach
Cedar Key State Museum State Park, Cedar Key
Colt Creek State Park, Lakeland
Constitution Convention Museum State Park, Port St. Joe
Crystal River Archaeological State Park, Crystal River
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park, Bushnell
Dagny Johsnon Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Key Largo
Deer Lake State Park, Santa Rosa Beach
Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park, Gainesville
Don Pedro Island State Park, Boca Granda
Dudley Farm Historic State Park, Newberry
Dunn’s Creek State Park, Pomona
Estero Bay Preserve State Park, Estero
Fort Cooper State Park, Inverness
Fort George Island Cultural State Park, Jacksonville
Fort Mose Historic State Park, St. Augustine
John Gorrie Museum State Park, Apalachicola
Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park, Ellenton
Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park, Tallahassee
Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park, Sebring
Lake Talquin State Park, Tallahassee
Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park, Tallahassee
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Islamorada
Madison Blue Spring State Park, Lee
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, Cross Creek
Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park, Woodville
Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, Olustee
Orman House Historic State Park, Apalachicola
Paynes Creek Historic State Park, Bowling Green
Peacock Springs State Park, Luraville
Perdido Key State Park, Pensacola
Ponce de Leon Springs State Park, Ponce de Leon

Projected Savings: $6.5 million

Read more - http://floridaindependent.com/20411/idea-for-trimming-the-budget-close-53-state-parks

[Garden guy]

Looks like our idiot thief governor is saving money from taking our play places away...this guy is going to take this state to the pits...thanks alot idiot republicans...

[dougskiles]

That would be very disappointing.  I say that as I am about to load up my car and take my family to Goldhead State Park for a weekend of camping.  For a savings of $6.5 million?  Very shortsighted - and the fact it was proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection is very telling.  Sounds like the fox is watching the henhouse.

[Ocklawaha]

Sounds like an idea right out of DISNEY CENTRAL, Remember the mouse is really a RAT! At least we know the kind of vermin the governor sleeps with.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Assuming they'd close, what's the plan for the future of these properties?  To sell them off?

[dougskiles]

I would be surprised if they closed.  My guess is that it is a shot across the bow preparing people for something else.

[Charles Hunter]

Seeing Olustee on the list, to my Civil War Re-enactor friends who voted for Scott - how's that workin' out for ya?

I am sure there are folks interested in snapping up some of these properties, who probably appear on campaign contribution lists.

[Jumpinjack]

Pretty short sighted thing to do. Some of these parks contribute more than a small amount to local economy. Olustee is a good example. They are getting ready for their battlefield reenactment in 3 weeks. People who participate and people who attend will be spending money locally as a boost to those merchants.

[Fallen Buckeye]

That'd be a real shame if they were to close. Some really great parks are on that list. I love Big Shoals and Olustee especially.  I just can't imagine that some of those parks are very expensive to run. Like the Devil's Millhopper. It's an enormous sinkhole. No camping. Some trails. A set of stairs. How much do you save by closing that? And who would be interested in taking over a hole in the ground 500 feet across and 120 feet deep? Very short-sighted plan if you ask me.

[Ocklawaha]

Mill Hopper Chase

Olustee Trace

Ponce De Leon Place

Estro Bay Estates

Lake Jackson Hills

Fort George Hills

Cross Creek Trails

Big Shoals Run

Crystal River Shores

Perdido

Yeah Perdido Governor Scott, PERDIDO!

El gobernador con el alma perdida! Scott, es una maldición sobre el estado, Florida es perdida.

OCKLAWAHA

[Overstreet]

............... I just can't imagine that some of those parks are very expensive to run. Like the Devil's Millhopper. It's an enormous sinkhole. No camping. Some trails. A set of stairs. How much do you save by closing that? .............

Probalby not much singularly but all together is seems bigger. For example, annual savings $6.5 million/53 parks puts it in he average $122k each.  I can see it. For example John Gorie Musemuem is a 6 room house with  a ranger. Constitution State park is bigger, but one visit is enough for me and it took an hour. The kids get more use out of the grounds as background for senior prom pictures.

[mbwright]

You must have voted for Scott.  This will be a long 4 years....

Since there will soon be no EPA, DEP, etc (not that they really protect the environment) Devill's millhoppr could become a great big dump.  It does not matter that it will poison the water table.  I'm sure he had a contributor in wate management....

This savings is a drop in the bucket compared to the state budget.  I'm sure he can pay for this out of his pocket, if so needed.   A better use of state money would be to transfer some of the landscaping money out of the FDOT, or other area, and keep the parks open.  I think I saw they were going to spend something like $1.4 million on the 9A JTB area soon ( but this might be on hold subjet to govenor review).  I'm sure there are many more examples of wasted money.

[tufsu1]

absolutely moronic

[Ocklawaha]

............... I just can't imagine that some of those parks are very expensive to run. Like the Devil's Millhopper. It's an enormous sinkhole. No camping. Some trails. A set of stairs. How much do you save by closing that? .............

Probalby not much singularly but all together is seems bigger. For example, annual savings $6.5 million/53 parks puts it in he average $122k each.  I can see it.

REALLY?

For example John Gorie Musemuem is a 6 room house with  a ranger.

Yeah, something that small should just be knocked down, it was just some guy that invented refrigeration, which led to air conditioning, which led to the populating of the State of Florida... I mean what the hell right?

I heard Rick Scott always cooks with wine, and sometimes he even adds food to it.

Constitution State park is bigger, but one visit is enough for me and it took an hour.

It too YOU a whole hour? I would have thought you might have clipped the Constitution down to 15 minutes, what should I care, it's just an old piece of paper.

The kids get more use out of the grounds as background for senior prom pictures.

What a great idea, let the kids decide, if we take it a step farther we could save even more by eliminating all of the public schools. Meanwhile we can abandon those wasteful parks, and use the sites as photo opportunities until such time as we can sell them to a tract developer. We can print pulp paper comics with all of the states history in them complete with photos of extinct things like fresh water springs, natural wonders, and blood soaked sand. Imagine where this could go if we elect him President? How many condos do you think we could get out of the stone in that stupid old fort in St Augustine? 10? 20?

Scott has a style that nobody else has, and I think when you're separate from the rest, it makes you kind of special. Hell when you enter the Governors room, you have to kiss his ring. I don't mind, but he has it in his back pocket. What a ration of imbecility...

[stjr]

Even if these parks are saved (one would certainly hope so), it's sad this is even up for discussion.  In the name of "creating jobs" we are going to kill the environment, parks, education, and cultural institutions under Scott (I can't bring myself to preface his name with the title he holds).  Why would anyone want a job in Florida without quality of life.  Especially, all those "decision makers" who so often determine where the jobs go based on where they want to live.

Every day that goes by, Scott reveals himself as the person those who didn't vote for him so greatly feared.  He may even be worse if that's possible.

I believe he has so over-promised what he can deliver that he can't possibly deliver and keep the electorate happy.  His Republican legislature is either going to cave into him and risk losing their lock on this state for years to come or they will mutiny, and leave Scott to hang by his own rope.  Hopefully, they are smart enough to do the latter.

As to 53 parks, they likely represent a value in land and buildings of hundreds of millions of dollars.  And, as noted, they may very well have an economic value far in excess of the paltry $6 million in savings.  If Scott has to get to this level to balance a multi-billion dollar budget, then the State is a hell of lot more efficient at what it does than he has given it credit for.  Bet he doesn't have a problem coming up with many more millions than this for his business cronies and voucher programs.  Oh, and we have so many millions lying around, he can do away with the state corporate income tax and cut property taxes some more.  Scott is making George Bush's "fuzzy math" look like an Einstein theory.