TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, 32 organizations and businesses sent a letter to the Legislature calling for funding for Florida’s state parks.

Last December, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection released a sobering report showing that Florida’s state parks face a staggering $759 million backlog in needed repairs and upgrades to maintain safe, accessible, and enjoyable outdoor spaces for all Floridians. The report also outlines the substantial long-term investment required over the next decade to sustain and strengthen all 175 state parks across the state.

This report was a product of the passage of the 2025 State Park Preservation Act, when Floridians across the political spectrum sent a resounding call to the Legislature to ensure our state parks remain pristine, resilient, and welcoming for generations to come.

The letter:

March 9, 2026

The Honorable Ben Albritton, President, Florida Senate
The Honorable Daniel Perez, Speaker, Florida House of Representatives
Members of the Florida Legislature

Re: Invest in Florida’s State Parks

Dear President Albritton, Speaker Perez, and Members of the Legislature,

The 32 undersigned conservation organizations and coalitions, community groups, outdoor recreation advocates, and businesses, respectfully urge the Legislature to provide dedicated appropriations to address the growing maintenance backlog in Florida’s award-winning state park system.

Florida’s beloved state parks are critical infrastructure supporting the state’s tourism economy, drinking water, storm protection, wildlife, and public health, and yet the current budget proposals fail to adequately meet the urgent repair needs within our state parks. Florida’s state parks for years ranked among the best in the nation and are essential economic engines for surrounding communities. But the system now faces a substantial maintenance backlog. Deferred maintenance does not save money — it multiplies costs. Repairs become replacements, facilities close, visitor experiences decline, and local tourism economies suffer.

At the current $25 million proposed in the House and Senate budgets, it would take 30 years to accomplish the total amount of repairs recommended in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) report ($759 million) that was released last year; at $50 million in the Governor’s budget, it would take 15 years to accomplish that total amount of repairs. Our state parks deserve better.

There is money at hand to spend on state park facility and accessibility improvements. The statutorily uncommitted funds in the Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF) are projected to be $824.7 million for the coming fiscal year (2026-27); in fact, the uncommitted funding is going up by $30 million compared to the previous fiscal year. As such, budgeting at least $100 million for state parks facility improvements, and $20 million specifically for accessibility upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is entirely feasible.

We stand ready to work with legislative leaders to ensure Florida remains a place where economic prosperity and natural resource protection advance together. A responsible budget must protect both taxpayers and the state parks of which Floridians and visitors alike are so enamored.

Floridians love their state parks – please love them too by appropriating the funds needed to bring our state parks back up to the standards that brought Florida acclaim.

Respectfully,

Citrus Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
Joy Semelka, President

Climate Reality Project, North Broward and Palm Beach County
Susan Steinhauser, Co-chair

Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Nicole Johnson, Director of Environmental Policy

Earth Ethics, Inc.
Mary Gutierrez, Environmental Scientist

Environmental Matters Contracting and Consulting, LLC.
Pauline Irene Stacey, President/CEO

Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy
Karen Woodall, Executive Director

Florida Keys Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America
Michael F. Chenoweth, President

Florida Native Plant Society
Gene Kelly, President

Friends of Biscayne Bay
Valeria Donets, Executive Coordinator

Friends of Oleta River State Park
Nina Jackson, Vice President

Friends of Wakulla Springs State Park
Julie Harrington, President

Halifax River Audubon
Melissa Lammers, Co-conservation Chair

Hold The Line Coalition
Josh Sproat, Policy Director

IDEAS For Us
Caroline Chomanics, Chief Operations Officer

Kissimmee Waterkeeper
John Capece, Kissimmee Waterkeeper

League of Women Voters of Citrus County
Vicky Iozzia, 1st President

Our Santa Fe River, Inc.
Rick Lanese, President

Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
Rebekah Kaufman, President

Pawpaw Chapter Inc., Florida Native Plant Society
Karen Walter, President

RURL Residents United for Rural Levy
Laura Catlow, Executive Director

Sarracenia Chapter, Florida Native Plant Society
Jack Richardson, President

Sea Turtle Conservancy
Stacey Gallagher, Policy Coordinator

Sierra Club Florida
Susannah Randolph, Chapter Director

South Florida Audubon Society
Doug Young, Chief Operating Officer

Southeast Volusia Audubon Society
Marsha Cox, Executive Committee

Surfrider Foundation Florida
Katie Bauman, Florida Policy Manager

The Downriver Project
Gil Damon, Director

Tropical Audubon Society
Lauren Jonaitis, Executive Director

VoteWater
Gil Smart, Executive Director

Wakulla Springs Alliance
Chad Hanson, Chair

West Volusia Audubon Society
Stephen Kintner, Vice President and Conservation Chair

WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.
John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper

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