Florida Money Troubles Could Close 38 State Parks

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. â€”  A third of Florida’s state parks could close by the end of the year because of a money shortage caused by Hurricane Andrew and a housing sales slump, state officials say.

Officials planned to release a list Monday of the parks that might be closed if more money is not found. Those with the lowest attendance would be closed first, said Virginia Wetherell, executive director of the Division of Recreation and Parks.

Florida operates 146 parks, including nature parks and historic sites. Of those, only about 113 are considered active, and as many as 38 of them could close, officials said.

The Division of Recreation and Parks took in $7 million less in revenue than anticipated this year, said Fran Mainella of the department.

Hurricane Andrew, which hit Florida in August, was blamed for part of the loss.

The hurricane forced the closure of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, which caused a $1-million loss of anticipated revenue, Mainella said. Ten smaller parks also were temporarily closed because of the hurricane, at a loss of an additional $300,000, she said.

A decrease in income collected from official stamps was blamed for the rest of the shortfall. The income, collected when documents are recorded by the state’s court clerks, dropped drastically as real estate sales slumped.

Wetherell plans to ask the Legislature for more money if it holds a special session before Jan. 1. The federal government or local governments could also step in, she said.