Well, actually, in a way it does.  Last year over 32 million people visited Florida State Parks adding $3 billion in direct economic impact to the state’s economy.

Over the last few weeks, FFSP board members have been to Tallahassee visiting the offices of influential legislators and every senator and representative has been sent a letter pointing out the enormous economic benefit state parks have in their respective districts.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s top leadership, Secretary Noah Valenstein and Deputy Secretary David Clark, have made several appearances before House and Senate committees.  And, our new Florida Park Service Director, Eric Draper, has worked closely with Friends of Florida State Parks (FFSP) leadership to coordinate a significant grass roots campaign.

It is still too early to say whether the legislature will approve the Florida’s state parks 2018 budget request but, at the time of this writing, things are looking positive thanks to a major cooperative effort by key players.

Florida’s state parks are one of the state's greatest success stories and continue to be a sound investment.  They contribute mightily to the state’s tourism industry and preserve many of the jewels of our natural environments.  Of course, we all know this, we just need to make sure everyone else does too – and, right now, especially the policy and decision makers.

So, as we enter the final weeks of this year’s legislative session, we will continue to watch the situation carefully and take appropriate action when we think it necessary.

The one thing that we all know is that we love our parks with a passion and that they are worth fighting for.

If you would like to tell your legislators how important Florida State Parks are to you personally, click here.