Grove's Barnacle Park, Three Others May Be Closed

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - Facing a three and half billion shortfall, more than fifty parks around the state could fall to the budget axe.

Among those which may be closed include in South Florida are the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Botanical in Key Largo; Windley Key Fossil Reef Park and Lignumvitae Key Botanical in Islamorada and Barnacle Historical Park in Coconut Grove.

The Department of Environmental Protection reports in the 2009-2010 fiscal year, combined all four parks had a total of 85,221 visitors and generated a little more than $52 thousand in revenue, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. Unfortunately the parks, which are manned by 12 full-time employees, cost nearly $850 thousand a year to operate.

The DEP said the 53 parks which made the list had the lowest visitation numbers and did not offer overnight accommodations or camping.

This is not the first time the department has considered closing parks due to a cash crunch. In the 2009-2010 fiscal year they proposed closing 19 parks, the following year they proposed closing 28 parks. No parks were ever closed.

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