Florida State Parks

The Florida state park system comprises 176 state parks and 9 state trails covering more than 815,000 acres (330, 000 ha) across 58 of Florida's 67 counties. The parks are operated by the Florida Park Service, a division of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Established in 1935, the system ranges from urban historic sites and pre-Columbian archaeological grounds to first-magnitude springs, coral reefs, and roadless barrier islands accessible only by boat or ferry. Thirteen parks contain National Natural Landmarks, and several of the state's best-known destinations including Silver Springs, Homosassa Springs, Rainbow Springs, and Weeki Wachee Springs began as private tourist attractions before Florida acquired them for conservation. The Florida Park Service is a four-time recipient of the National Recreation and Park Association's Gold Medal Award for the best state park system in the United States, winning in 1999, 2005, 2013, and 2019, and was a finalist in 1997 and 2011. In 2023, the system's 1,040 staff and 19,854 volunteers served 28 million visitors across 198 cabins, 3,311 campsites, 101 miles (163 km) of beaches, and 2,275 miles (3, 661 km) of trails. Operations are funded by dedicated documentary stamp tax revenue, user fees, and local non-profit "friends of the park" groups. While most parks charge an entrance fee, Florida residents can purchase an annua

Park data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).