Florida state parks to open Monday as part of phase 1 plan
Ron DeSantis announced Friday that he will open all state parks Monday as part of phase one of his plan to reopen Florida. โToday, I am announcing that as part of phase one, as of Monday, Floridaโs world-renowned state parks system will be opening,โ DeSantis said. โOpening the parks back up is consistent with my safe, smart, step-by-step plan to reopen Florida.โThe governor said he based his decision to open state parks on a study conducted by the Department of Homeland Security. โWhen youโre talking about open spaces with appropriate distancing distancing, that is a very low-risk environment,โ DeSantis said. โItโs also very high reward for the people of Florida because they can go out, they can get sunlight, they can get fresh air.
State parks limit hours of operation in wake of coronavirus outbreak
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ Florida parks will open during set daytime hours for the next two months, with campground and overnight accommodations closed completely starting Friday, the Department of Environmental Protection announced Tuesday. The action concerning the parks comes as state officials respond to the rapidly increasing number of coronavirus cases in Florida. After Wednesday, existing reservations will be canceled and refunded, the state agency said in a release. State parks had been operating during daylight hours, but the change announced Tuesday limits sets visitation between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The state agency also is closing three Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection facilities --- Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve and Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.