23-415: Cedar Key State Museum is an 18 acres (7.3 ha) Florida State Park located at 12231 SW 166th Court, Cedar Key, Florida . The museum displays items collected by Saint Clair Whitman, a local resident who established the first museum in his home. His collection included such items as sea shells and Indian artifacts. The museum displays these as well as dioramas depicting life around Cedar Key and contains
46-535: A large collection of related historical information. An important feature of the museum is the Saint Clair Whitman house, built in the 1880s and acquired by Whitman in the 1920s. The house has been restored to depict life in Cedar Key c. 1920 - 1930. It was moved to the museum site in 1991 and restored for public viewing. The Memory Walk, a brick trail, links the house to the museum. In addition to
69-508: A much smaller extent charitable contributions. Many state parks have an associated local non-profit corporation. Most parks charge an entrance fee. Residents can purchase an annual entrance pass that is valid at any of the parks. Camping is available in campsites in some of the parks. All reservations for park facilities are handled through the private corporation ReserveAmerica . The Florida State Parks website (floridastateparks.org) provides an updated online guide to all parks. On 19 August 2024
92-529: A public swimming area was located at the spring. The 1940s led to more expansion, along with the construction of the first underwater observatory, which consisted of an iron tank with small windows on each side. The original 50-acre (20 ha) property was purchased in 1964 by the Norris Development Company, with an additional 100-acre (40 ha) surrounding property, and entertainment facilities and animal exhibits were added. Many of
115-656: Is a fishing pier and one is a recreation area. Seven parks are mostly undeveloped with few or no facilities; 10 parks are accessible only by private boat or ferry; and 13 parks contain National Natural Landmarks . Additionally, there are eleven national parks and service sites in Florida locations under control of the National Park Service . Florida State Parks are supported by tax dollars (document stamps), user fees, and to
138-511: Is a mostly nominal admission to nearly all Florida's state parks, although separate fees are charged for the use of cabins, marinas, campsites, etc. Florida's state parks offer 3,613 family campsites, 186 cabins, thousands of picnic tables, 100 miles (160 km) of beaches, and over 2,600 miles (4,200 km) of trails. The Florida Park Service is the division of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection responsible for
161-496: Is located near Homosassa Springs, Florida , in the United States . The park is one of the notable locations in the state to view manatees . Visitors can get close to the animals on a floating observatory. Black bears , bobcats , white-tailed deer , American alligators , and river otters have also been seen in the park. The park is also home to the hippopotamus Lu, famously known for his performances in many movies for
184-445: The U.S. state of Florida which encompass more than 800,000 acres (320,000 ha), providing recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists. Almost half of the state parks have an associated local 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, often styled, "Friends of { park name } State Park, Inc.". In 2015, some 29,356 volunteers donated nearly 1.3 million hours to enhance the parks for approximately 31 million visitors. There
207-405: The state legislature to increase conservation land, said: "Our vision did not contemplate the addition of golf courses and hotels, which in my view are not in-line with the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of nature. From what I know at this time, the proposal should not move forward in its current form." Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, said that he had learned from media reports about
230-542: The Florida Department of Environmental Protection announced plans to build golf courses and 350-room lodges on state park lands. In statements to the Tampa Bay Times and in posts to social media, the agency claimed that the construction of a golf course on vulnerable scrub habitat will be done in a way to "minimize habitat impacts". A spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis, Jeremy Redfern, defended
253-690: The Real Florida." Several state parks were formerly private tourist attractions purchased by the state of Florida to preserve their natural environment. These parks include the Silver Springs State Park , Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park , Rainbow Springs State Park , and Weeki Wachee Springs . There are state parks in 58 of Florida's 67 counties . Nine of the 175 parks do not have "State Park" in their name. Four are " conservation areas " (reserve, preserve, or wildlife refuge); three are "Historical/Archaeological sites"; one
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#1732797236908276-643: The animals kept here were trained for TV and film from Ivan Tors Animal Actors , including Buck, a bear that was a stand-in on the 1960s television show Gentle Ben , and Lu, the oldest hippopotamus in North America. Lu is the only animal in the park not native to Florida, he was born at the San Diego Zoo on January 26, 1960, and appeared in the TV shows Daktari and Cowboy in Africa . He has lived in
299-510: The area was resettled by several groups of Native Americans displaced from other areas, including the Seminoles and Miccosukee . The springs are a historical attraction with documented accounts of tourism since the early 1900s. At that time, a railroad running along what is now Fishbowl Drive would let passengers off to walk a short trail to the spring. In the 1920s, the attraction was expanded to several structures that no longer exist, and
322-542: The construction of disc golf courses, pickleball courts, and cabins. Three of the affected parks are in the Panhandle district in Panama City represented by state senator Jay Trumbull (R). He wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that he remains in "strong opposition" and exhorted other lawmakers in the legislature to follow suit. Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, who has lobbied in
345-444: The director of Florida's state parks between 2017 and 2021, stated that it appeared that the agency sidestepped the legal process. The Times also noted that Albert Gregory, the former state chief of park planning, said the state was "hop-scotching some important steps". Note: The table of contents only applies when the list is sorted by park name. Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
368-752: The first four-time winner. The parks are open year-round and offer diverse activities beyond fishing, hiking and camping. Many parks offer facilities for birding or horseback riding; there are several battle reenactments; and freshwater springs and beaches are Florida's gems. According to the Florida Park Service website, their goal "is to help create a sense of place by showing park visitors the best of Florida's diverse natural and cultural sites. Florida's state parks are managed and preserved for enjoyment by this and future generations through providing appropriate resource-based recreational opportunities, interpretation and education that help visitors connect to
391-519: The governor and the accelerated process driving state plans to develop golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park . The park, on the Atlantic coast of Florida, contains the largest area of protected scrub jay habitat in southeast Florida. An unusual bipartisan showing of elected officials in the state Legislature, Cabinet and the US Congress expressed opposition to the plans, which include
414-400: The museum, there is a short nature trail. Among the wildlife of the park are gray squirrels , doves , mockingbirds , blue jays , woodpeckers , and green tree frogs . Native vegetation can be seen on the nature trail as well as on the museum grounds. The naturalist John Muir visited Cedar Key in 1867 on his historic walk from Kentucky to Florida. He wrote: For nineteen years my vision
437-610: The operation of Florida State Parks , and won the Gold Medal honoring the best state park system in the country in 1999 and 2005 from the National Recreation and Park Association . They were also finalists in the 1997 and 2011 competitions. The Park Service was awarded the gold medal again in October 2013, making it the only three-time winner. In 2019, they received the gold medal award again, resulting in them being
460-469: The past 40 years. The park is officially named Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in honor of Elmyra Felburn Schiller (1943 – 2009), a benefactor of the Florida state park system. Native Americans lived in the area of Homosassa Springs, Florida, long before the first non indigenous people entered the area. Within 200 years of encounter, the original inhabitants of the area were decimated by disease and colonial warfare. Soon after that,
483-668: The plans, saying "it's high time we made public lands more accessible to the public." DeSantis, an enthusiastic golfer, controls the Department of Environmental Protection, and has increased his influence over the agency in comparison to former governors. In an unprecedented move that critics said violated state law, he unilaterally appointed its secretary without approval by other members of the Florida Cabinet. The Tampa Bay Times also reported that US Senators Rick Scott (R) and Marco Rubio (R) joined local officials in criticizing
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#1732797236908506-441: The state park development plan, and that he has "serious concerns". He issued a statement saying, "(We) have to be really careful when we talk about building infrastructure on state parks. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should." Environmental groups and former park officials agreed that the agency was trying to limit the public comment-gathering process. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Eric Draper, who served as
529-570: Was bounded by forests, but today, emerging from a multitude of tropical plants, I beheld the Gulf of Mexico stretching away unbounded, except by the sky. What dreams and speculative matter for thought arose as I stood on the strand, gazing out on the burnished, treeless plain! The John Muir historic marker was placed on the museum grounds in 1983, commemorating his visit. Florida State Parks [REDACTED] There are 175 state parks and 9 state trails in
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