The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Fiscal Policy
BILL: CS/SB 76
INTRODUCER: Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and, General Government and
Senator Hooper and others
SUBJECT: State Park Campsite Reservations
DATE: March 27, 2023
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Barriero Rogers EN Favorable
2. Reagan Betta AEG Fav/CS
3. Barriero Yeatman FP Favorable
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
CS/SB 76 allows Florida residents to reserve state park cabins and campsites one month before
nonresidents. Specifically, the bill requires the Division of Recreation and Parks of the
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to allow Florida residents to reserve state park
cabins and campsites, including sites for RV, tent, boat, and equestrian camping up to 11 months
in advance, and up to 10 months in advance for nonresidents. Florida residents must provide
proof of residency (a Florida driver license or identification card) when making reservations
more than 10 months in advance.
The DEP may incur expenditures to update its reservation website but this can be absorbed
within existing resources.
REVISED: BILL: CS/SB 76 Page 2
II. Present Situation:
Florida State Parks
Florida residents and visitors from around the world are drawn to the state’s 175 award-winning
1
parks, spanning nearly 800,000 acres and 100 miles of coastline.
2
During fiscal year 2021-2022,
over 32 million people visited our state parks.
3
While approximately 75 percent of those visitors
were “non-local,” meaning they traveled from more than 50 miles away,
4
Florida residents have,
on average, made up 61 percent of all overnight visitors.
5
Florida state parks offer a variety of camping options:
Fifty-six state parks offer campgrounds, 52 of which have amenities specifically for RV
campers.
6
Full-facility campsites for tent and RV campers include water, electricity, a grill
and picnic table, as well as centralized showers, restrooms, and dump stations.
7
Twenty-eight state parks provide primitive campgrounds. These sites have limited
improvements, such as a fire ring and a cleared area for tent camping, but generally have no
electric power, and may or may not have potable water or bathroom facilities and are
typically accessible by foot, bicycle, or canoe/kayak only.
8
Nineteen state parks offer cabins,
9
with options varying from fully equipped modern cabins
with kitchens, fireplaces, and screened porches to more primitive hand-hewn, lumber, or
palm-log cabins.
10
Eighteen state parks offer camping for equestrians and their horses.
11
Amenities vary by park
and range from ride-in primitive sites to areas suitable for rigs.
12
Some equestrian campsites
include paddocks or stable facilities and restrooms with showers.
13
1
Florida is the first state to win four National Gold Medals (in 1999, 2005, 2013, and 2019) for the best state park system.
See, DEP, Florida State Parks: 2019 National Gold Medal Winner, https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/2019-national-gold-medal-
winner#:~:text=On%20Tuesday%2C%20September%2024%2C%20the%20National%20Recreation%20and,the%20nation%20to%20win%20a%20fourth%
20Gold%20Medal (last visited Jan. 6, 2023).
2
DEP, Division of Recreation and Parks, https://floridadep.gov/parks (last visited Jan. 6, 2023).
3
DEP, 2021-2022 Economic Impact Assessment Report for the Florida State Park System, available at
https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/2022%20Economic%20Impact%20Assessment%20Report%20FINAL%209.26.22.pdf.
4
See id. at 3. This percentage is from the 2006 Florida State Park Visitor Study. Id. See also DEP, 2016-2017 Economic
Impact Assessment for the Florida Park System at 4, available at
https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/Economic%20Impact%20Assessment%202016-2017.pdf.
5
DEP, Florida State Parks: Plan Your Visit: Frequently Asked Questions (no. 24), https://www.floridastateparks.org/plan-
your-visit/faqs (last visited Jan. 6, 2023).
6
DEP, Florida State Parks: Find A Park, https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails?parks%5B0%5D=experiences%3A242
(last visited Jan. 6, 2023).
7
DEP, Florida State Parks: Stay the Night, https://www.floridastateparks.org/index.php/stay-night (last visited Jan. 6, 2023).
8
DEP, Florida State Parks: Primitive Camping, https://www.floridastateparks.org/primitive-camping (last visited Jan. 9, 2023).
9
Id.
10
DEP, Florida State Parks Camping and Cabins Guide, at 4, available at
https://www.floridastateparks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/2021_CampingCabinsGuide_Reservation%20Prices%20Update.pdf (last
visited Jan. 6, 2023).
11
DEP, Florida State Parks: Equestrian Camping, https://www.floridastateparks.org/equestrian-camping (last visited Jan. 9,
2023).
12
A camping rig is defined as combinations of vehicles, trailers, tents, and/or hammocks. DEP, Florida State Parks:
Reservation Information, https://www.floridastateparks.org/reservation-information (last visited Jan. 10, 2023).
13
DEP, Florida State Parks: Equestrian Camping, https://www.floridastateparks.org/equestrian-camping (last visited Jan. 9,
2023). BILL: CS/SB 76 Page 3
Seven state parks offer glamping (glamorous camping), which includes a canvas tent, a
queen bed with linens, a seating area, device charging stations, and a cooling and heating
unit.
14
Glamping reservations are booked through third-party vendors.
Six state parks provide boat slips with water and electricity. Boaters have access to park
restrooms, showers, pump-outs, and other amenities. Boaters can also anchor overnight at
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
15
Camping Reservations
Florida state parks
16
allow visitors to make reservations up to 11 months in advance, either by
phone or online.
17
This booking window applies to both Florida residents and nonresidents. New
dates become available daily at 8:00 a.m.
18
Any new sites that become available throughout the
day due to a cancellation are randomly released back into inventory following the cancellation.
19
The maximum length of stay for a single reservation is 14 nights total. After 14 nights, visitors
must leave the park for at least three nights before returning for a new stay. Based on availability
and once the camper is registered and on-site, the park manager or designee may at their
discretion extend a camper’s current stay up to an additional 14 nights. Maximum continuous
length of stay in any one park is 28 nights. Campers are permitted up to 56 nights of total
occupancy in any one park in each six-month period, defined as October 1 - March 31, and
April 1 - September 30. All campsites or cabins not reserved or occupied may be rented to
walk-in visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
20
Campsite fees and rental rates vary by park and are generally the same for residents and
nonresidents.
21
Only certain Florida citizens—those who are 65 years of age or older, disabled,
or who operate a licensed family foster home—are eligible for a discount (50 percent).
22
Recipients of such discounts must provide proof of eligibility.
23
14
DEP, Florida State Parks: Let’s Go Glamping, https://www.floridastateparks.org/index.php/learn/lets-go-glamping (last
visited Jan. 9, 2023).
15
DEP, Florida State Parks: Boat Camping, https://www.floridastateparks.org/boat-camping (last visited Jan. 9, 2023).
16
Notably, some county parks allow advance reservations for residents. For example, Brevard County, Palm Beach County,
and Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County allow in-county residents to make reservations before nonresidents. See Brevard
County Parks, Parks & Recreation Online Portal Search,
https://registration.brevardfl.gov/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/search.html?module=RN&primarycode=LONGP (last visited Jan. 5, 2023); Palm
Beach County, Parks & Recreation: Campground Reservations,
https://discover.pbcgov.org/parks/CampingJohnPrincePark/CamperInformation.aspx (last visited Jan. 5, 2023); Pinellas
County Parks, Campsite & Picnic Shelter Reservation System, https://secure.rec1.com/FL/pinellas-county-fl/catalog (last
visited Jan. 5, 2023).
17
DEP, Florida State Parks: Reservation Information, https://www.floridastateparks.org/reservation-information (last visited
Jan. 3, 2023).
18
Id.
19
Id.
20
Id.
21
DEP, Florida State Parks: Fee Schedule, available at https://www.floridastateparks.org/sites/default/files/inline-
files/2021_05_10%20FSP%20Fee%20Schedule%2005.2022.pdf (last visited Jan. 10, 2023).
22
Id. See also section 258.016, F.S.
23
Id. BILL: CS/SB 76 Page 4
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
Section 1 amends s. 258.014, F.S., to require the DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks to
allow individuals to use the division’s website to reserve state park cabins and campsites,
including sites for RV, tent, boat, and equestrian camping, as follows:
For Florida residents, reservations up to 11 months in advance; and
For nonresidents, reservations up to 10 months in advance.
A Florida resident who wishes to book a campsite more than 10 months in advance must provide
proof of residency (a valid Florida driver license or identification card issued under
s. 322.051, F.S.), when making a reservation. The bill also makes technical changes.
Section 2 provides an effective date of July 1, 2023.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
None.
C. Government Sector Impact:
The DEP may incur expenditures to update its reservation website but this can be
absorbed within existing resources. BILL: CS/SB 76 Page 5
VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None.
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill substantially amends section 258.014 of the Florida Statutes.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Substantial Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
CS by Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General
Government:
The committee substitute includes state park cabins and campsites, including sites for
RV, tent, boat, and equestrian camping for the DEP registration website for state parks.
It provides that reservations made for non-residents may be made up to 10 months in
advance rather than 11 and Florida residents may make reservations 11 months in
advance rather than 12. It also provides that a Florida resident who wishes to book a state
park in advance must provide his or her valid Florida driver license number or
identification number as proof of Florida residency when making a reservation.
B. Amendments:
None.
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.