Parks and Rec

Foundation Seeks Specialty License Plate to Support Florida State Parks

If passed, bills in the Florida House and Senate will authorize a specialty license plate to provide significant funding to protect and preserve Florida’s state parks.

By Staff January 27, 2021

Rothenbach Park

Rothenbach Park

The Florida State Parks Foundation has won bipartisan support in its bid to get a specialty license plate to support Florida’s award-winning state parks. Senate Bill 676 was filed by Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley (SD 12), and House Bill 249 was filed by Democratic Representative Allison Tant (HD 9). About $1 billion dollars is needed to reinvest in aging infrastructure and provide needed facilities in parks yet to be developed; a specialty Florida Park Service license plate would provide funding for this effort.

The Florida Park Service manages 800,000 acres of land for public recreational use. Florida's 175 state parks contain 948 historic structures and more than 1,500 archaeological sites, plus more than 100 miles of beaches, thousands of miles of hiking, biking, equestrian and paddling trails, 2,769 miles of roads, 171 bathhouses, 363 restrooms, 570 pavilions and four lighthouses. State parks attracted 28 million visitors in 2019 and generated almost $3 billion in local and statewide economic impact, including more than $205 million in state sales tax and 48,622 jobs.

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