Join effort to save Deer Lake State Park
Most of us have heard about the plan to close Deer Lake State Park.
( see November 20, 2008 article in Walton Sun by Nate Kelly)
http://www.waltonsun.com/common/printer/view.php?db=waltonsun&id=2460
Some locals are now trying to save Deer Lake Park. Also, some new information has been revealed.
The actual cost of keeping Deer Lake open may have been greatly exaggerated. The actual annual cost is only $6,700 vs the $45,000 claimed .
Also, there is a rumor that the real motive for closing Deer Lake is not to save money but to open up an opportunity for a developer to buy the property at a bargain price.
The letter below was shared with me by a friend. This letter pretty much sums up the concerns of many residents. I am omitting the name since it is not my letter-I am working on mine right now.
This letter was sent to Gov. Crist, Sen. Don Gaetz, Rep. Marti Coley, and Mike Bullock Director of FDEP.
The Hon. Charlie Crist, Governor
State of Florida
PL-05 The Capitol
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001
Dear Governor Crist:
I am writing about the possible closure of Deer Lake State Park in Walton County. This came as a shock, as it is a pristine jewel of a park, with a wonderful boardwalk leading to the Gulf and a series of trails through the woods to the north of Co. Hwy. 30A. Locals use it all the time to get to the beach or to hike in the woods and, using myself as an example, I bring all my visitors to this park because it's a short ways away and it's so precious a resource.
I've been told there are two reasons for the possible closure of this particular park. First, it has a ?small amount of use relative to the expense of operating it,? and second, it generates no revenue. These are truly ridiculous arguments.
With regard to the first, no one has any idea how many people use it because no count is taken. My friends and I, and my guests and I, use the park all the time. Every time we go, other people are using it too. It is a highly used park ? there's simply no sign-in or way to keep track of its use.
With regard to the expense of operating it and it generating no revenue, the figure is laughable. Although some people were told that it costs $44,000 a year to operate, the actual expenses amount to under $6,000. This of course does not count the salary of one ranger, but we were told that no rangers would be let go, so the savings from closing the park cannot count a ranger's salary.
The amount of $5,700 could very easily be made up by taking two steps: 1) install an ?honor? collection box asking visitors to put in $2 per car, which works well for other state parks in Walton County; and 2) let us know that the park can stay open if $5,700 is raised. Someone will pick up the ball and organize a fundraiser ? probably raising the amount needed with one good event.
In addition, I'd like to point out that the proposed closing of parks in the Panhandle is way disproportionate to the closings proposed elsewhere: 24 percent of Panhandle parks, vs. 12 percent or less in other areas of Florida. This is discriminatory and unconscionable.
In sum, there is absolutely no reason to keep Deer Lake park on the list of closures. If it is closed after the outcry you are probably receiving, it is obviously for reasons other than those stated -- which will be an embarrassment to yourself, the FDEP, and the legislature when true reasons come out.
Sincerely,
(name withheld) Resident of Walton County
cc: Sen. Don Gaetz; Rep. Marti Coley; Mike Bullock, FDEP
SenatorDon Gaetz
320 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
(850) 487-5009
Senate VOIP: 5009
District Office:
217 Miracle Strip Parkway
Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548
(850) 897-5747
Senate VOIP: 40400
FAX (850) 833-3910
Toll Free:
1-866-450-4366
...........................
Rep. Marti Coley
319 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: (850) 488-2873
District Office:
Building L, Room 108 Chipola College
3094 Indian Circle
Marianna, FL 32446-1701
Phone: (850) 718-0047
or
GCCC-Administration Building, Room 228
5230 West Highway 98
Panama City, FL 32401-1041
Phone: (850) 747-5596
......................
Mike Bullock
Director Florida Park Service
3900 Commonwealth Blvd ? Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Information Line: (850) 245-2157