FSC Statement on the Florida Springs National Park

There are many things we need to restore and protect Florida springs, but a new national park isn’t one of them.

Recently, we’ve gotten a lot of questions about Congressman Randy Fine’s proposal to study the feasibility of establishing a Florida Springs National Park south of Jacksonville, north of Orlando and east of Gainesville. I believe Congressman Fine is sincere in his love of national parks and desire to help Florida’s springs. It’s two things we have in common.

While it may sound like an appealing idea on paper, the Florida Springs Council is concerned about the changes in protections and public access that would result from converting several state parks, state forests and the Ocala National Forest into a national park. Here’s why we’re concerned:

1. There are no apparent benefits to Florida Springs. All of the lands are already permanently protected; bought and owned by the State of Florida on behalf of Floridians. Even though state parks, state preserves, state forests, and national forests allow different types of resource management and recreational activities, they all prohibit the primary causes of harm to Florida springs: fertilizers, septic tanks, and water withdrawals. Harm that is allowed by our state’s lax implementation of water laws on private lands. Changing the name on the signs or the level of government that owns and manages the lands will not help reduce nitrogen pollution or increase flows at Florida’s springs.

2. Florida’s state parks are already protected. Just this year, Floridians united to defend state parks from development and the Legislature unanimously passed HB 209, “The State Park Preservation Act,” to permanently prohibit commercial development in all Florida state parks. Thanks to the efforts of millions of Floridians and the wisdom of the Florida Legislature, Florida’s state parks now have the highest levels of protection. We shouldn’t give up that hard fought win just after we achieved it.

3. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I can’t think of much our state government does better than the job the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Forest Service do at managing our public lands. That’s why Florida’s state parks have won four gold medals, more than any other state, and are currently a finalist for a fifth. At a time when our national park system is under attack by politicians in Washington D.C., Florida’s state parks have unified support from our representatives in Tallahassee.

4. Floridians have more control over the future of our public lands. The passage of the State Park Preservation Act proves we can protect our parks at the state level when threats emerge. As importantly, local residents currently have the ability to shape how state lands are managed by participating in the drafting of management plans, or by volunteering with the local “Friends of” group. If decisions about Florida’s most precious public lands are being made at the federal level, our ability to protect and manage those lands will be diminished.

5. Jeopardizes recreational opportunities that Floridians depend on. For generations, Floridians have come to the Ocala National Forest for easy and free access to off-roading, hiking, primitive camping, hunting, and fishing. Converting the ONF into a national park could mean the loss or regulation of these outdoor recreational opportunities and create a harmful divide within our community. Environmentally sensitive areas within the ONF, like the areas around Juniper and Alexander Springs, are already designated Wilderness Areas, and afforded the highest level of protection. We need to prohibit and regulate pollution and harmful water withdrawals, not outdoor recreation.

   
   

If the study moves forward, we will review the results and consider our position. However, in the opinion of FSC, turning state conservation lands and the Ocala National Forest into a national park would do nothing to restore our springs and could be a step-backwards in the protection and management of our public lands.

Our springs have long been neglected at the state level and we would welcome Congressman Fine’s help in protecting them. At the federal level, springs need more funding for land conservation and infrastructure projects, stronger laws to protect wetlands and regulate non-point source pollution, and better protections for plants and wildlife.