Media Advisory: Oct. 6, 2016
STATE PARK CLOSURES FOR HURRICANE MATTHEW
~State park closures to ensure visitor safety~
TALLAHASSEE,
Fla. – The Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park
Service announces the closure of state parks across Florida due to imminent weather conditions including strong winds and rain.
The following state parks are closed until further notice:
- Addison Blockhouse Historic State
Park (Volusia County)
- Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Preserve State Park (Polk County)
- Amelia Island State Park (Nassau County)
- Anastasia State Park (St. Johns County)
- Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park (Martin County)
- Avalon State Park (St. Lucie County)
- Bahia Honda State Park (Monroe County)
- Big Shoals State Park (Hamilton and Columbia counties)
- Big Talbot Island State Park (Duval County)
- Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park (Miami-Dade County)
- Blue Spring State Park (Volusia County)
- Bulow Creek State Park (Volusia County)
- Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic
State Park (Flagler County)
- Colt Creek State Park (Polk County)
- Curry Hammock State Park (Monroe County)
- Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock
Botanical State Park (Monroe County)
- De Leon Springs State Park (Volusia County)
- Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park (Alachua County)
- Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson
State Park (Broward County)
- Dunns Creek State Park (Putnam County)
- Faver-Dykes State Park (St. Johns County)
- Fernandina Plaza Historic State
Park (Nassau County)
- Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (Monroe County)
- Fort Clinch State Park (Nassau County)
- Fort George Island Cultural State
Park (Duval County)
- Fort Mose Historic
State Park (St. Johns County)
- Fort Pierce Inlet State Park (St. Lucie County)
- Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State
Park (Monroe County)
- Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail (Alachua County)
- Gamble Rogers Memorial
State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach (Flagler County)
- George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier
State Park (Nassau County)
- Haw Creek Preserve State Park (Flagler, Putnam and Volusia counties)
- Highlands Hammock State Park (Highlands County)
- Hontoon Island State Park (Volusia and Lake counties)
- Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (Broward County)
- Indian Key Historic State Park (Monroe County)
- Indian River Lagoon
Preserve State Park (Brevard County)
- John D. MacArthur Beach State Park (Palm Beach County)
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State
Park (Monroe County)
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Martin County)
- Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (Okeechobee County)
- Lake Griffin State Park (Lake County)
- Lake Louisa State Park (Lake County)
- Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve State Park (Highlands County)
- Lake Kissimmee State Park (Polk County)
- Lignumvitae Key Botanical State
Park (Monroe County)
- Little Talbot Island State Park (Duval County)
- Long Key State Park (Monroe County)
- Lower Wekiwa River Preserve State Park (Lake and Seminole counties)
- Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation and Conservation Area East of I-75 (Marion and Putnam counties)
- Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park (Clay County)
- North Peninsula State
Park (Volusia County)
- Oleta River State Park (Miami-Dade County)
- Okeechobee Battlefield Historic State Park (Okeechobee County)
- Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail (Bradford, Clay, Putnam and Union counties)
- Palatka-St. Augustine State Trail (St. Johns County)
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (Alachua County)
- Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State
Park (Duval County)
- Ravine Gardens State Park (Putnam County)
- Rock Springs Run State Reserve (Orange, Lake and Seminole counties)
- San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park (Alachua County)
- Savannas Preserve State Park (St. Lucie and Martin counties)
- Seabranch Preserve State Park (Martin County)
- Sebastian Inlet State
Park (Brevard and Indian River counties)
- Silver Springs State Park (Marion County)
- Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park (Hamilton County)
- St. Sebastian River
Preserve State Park (Broward and Indian River counties)
- St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State
Park (Martin County)
- The Barnacle Historic State Park (Miami-Dade County)
- Tomoka State Park (Volusia County)
- Washington Oaks
Gardens State Park (Flagler County)
- Wekiwa Springs State Park (Orange County)
- Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological
State Park (Monroe County)
- Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State
Park (Duval County)
Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency.
Visitor safety is paramount in the decision to close and
open Florida state parks during times of severe weather. Following
established emergency action plans, parks will close under the
following circumstances:
Tropical Storm Warning – All camping areas are closed
and evacuated.
Hurricane Warning – All areas (overnight and day-use)
are closed and evacuated.
Additionally, Florida State Parks are in constant
communication with state and local emergency operations centers and may close
sooner depending on conditions and location. For example, barrier islands and
parks that are near major bridges may close sooner to ensure visitor safety.
Following severe weather events, the Florida Park Service works to reopen parks as
quickly as possible to provide recreation for Florida's residents and visitors. State parks will be opened as quickly as visitor safety can be assured.
Please visit floridastateparks.org and the Florida State Parks Facebook page for continuously updated information.
The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season runs
from June 1 – Nov. 30. For additional information about severe
weather in Florida, and to Get
A Plan, visit FloridaDisaster.org and FLGetAPlan.com. Follow the State Emergency Response Team on Twitter at @FLSERT
and Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FloridaSERT.
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