# Chapter 4 - Outdoor Recreation Supply and Regional Profiles

4—1 

### private sites were identified through the secondary data sources previously listed.

The updated information on outdoor recreation supply was compiled in the Outdoor Recreation Planning Data Base. The database enables DRP to compute totals, summaries and other analyses that are necessary for Florida’s outdoor recreation plan and to provide reasonably current, accurate and easily accessible data to any public agency or interested individual.

It should be recognized that DRP relies on self-reporting of data by the various agencies and providers that contribute information to the inventory. Additionally, there are certain private sector outdoor recreation resourcesand facilities that are not included in the private supply inventory. Included in this group are privately-owned lands and facilities which may be available to the public on an individual basis after receiving permission from the landowner. These lands comprise thousands of acres and can accommodate many outdoor recreation activities including hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. Otherresources that are not included in the inventory are backyard pools, private vacation cabins, boat docks, driveway basketball courts, apartment complexes and hotel/motel recreation facilities. These resources and facilities are not available to the public on a formal basis, and it is virtually impossible to identify them with the degree of accuracy required to include them in the private supply inventory.A complete inventory of the supply of existing outdoor recreation resources and facilities in Florida is vital to outdoor recreation planning and implementation. The Division of Recreation and Parks (DRP) maintains an inventory that provides details regarding the existing parks, recreation areas, open spaces and other outdoor recreation sites in the state. The inventory includes the known outdoor recreation facilities and resources provided by federal, state, regional, county and municipal governments, commercial enterprises, non-profit organizations and clubs. The supply information presented inthis chapter is a useful planning tool for public and private recreation interests and itshould assist them in analyzing outdoor recreation and open space needs and establishing program goals and priorities.

DRP updates the statewide supply inventory every two years. The most recent update was completed in September 2007. Public outdoor recreation providers were contactedand asked to verify or correct the information about their agency’s existing resources and facilities and to provide information onnew sites and facilities. The updated information was conveyed electronically in most cases. Inventory forms were mailed to agencies that were unable to access thesupply inventory data electronically. Additionally, DRP used secondary data sources, including trade publications, Internet Web pages, recreation directories and guides, and local government comprehensive plansto identify new providers to add to the inventory. In updating the inventory of private recreation facilities, emphasis was placed on verifying the information for more than 3,000 recreation areas already contained in the inventory from previous updates. New4—2 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Non-Government
2.6%

Municipal
1% County
3% State
50% Federal

43% Figure 4.1 Statewide Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider



### trails, wildlife management areas and water management lands.

Florida’s local governments supply only four percent of the statewide outdoor recreation acreage, but they provide two-thirds of the individual parks and recreation areas in thestate. Typically, they provide numerous passive and open space areas and access to many water bodies, affording opportunities for a variety of water-dependent recreationactivities. Their primary involvement, however, is in supplying virtually all of the public facilities needed for user-oriented recreation.

Non-government organizations provide the remaining lands (346,000 acres) through a variety of commercial enterprises, non-profitorganizations and clubs. A significant por

## Statewide Overview of Supply

Table 4.1 shows the statewide results of the outdoor recreation supply inventory update by level of provider. Public agencies and private providers supplied a total of more than 13 million acres of land and water for outdoor recreational use. Federal and statelands constitute 93 percent of the total outdoor recreation and conservation acreage in the state. The federal government provides 43 percent of the statewide acreage throughvarious types of areas of national significance, including national parks and preserves, national forests, national wildlife refuges and military lands. State agencies provide fully one-half of the statewide acreage through a variety of programs and managed areas, including state parks, state forests, water management areas, greenways and4—3 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

a map of the public conservation lands located in the region, a brief profile of the region’s physical and socio-economic characteristics, and tables that display the outdoor recreation resources and facilities availablein the region. The regional summaries illustrate the diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities that are available throughout thestate and each region’s uniqueness as a setting for outdoor recreation activities.tion of the overall demand for outdoor recreation in Florida is met by these private sector interests. This category also includes private and quasi-public organization lands and private industry lands.



## Regional Summaries

The remainder of this chapter provides summaries of the outdoor recreation resourcesand facilities that are found in each of Florida’s 11 planning regions (refer to map on page 1-2). Each regional summary includes

The Nature Conservancy’s Disney W ilderness Preserve, Osceola County4—4 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 137 936 3,823 5,254 3,085 13,235 LAND Acres 4,351,881 4,512,461 376,368 106,433 324,095 9,671,238 WATER Acres 1,467,576 2,131,414 48,623 5,774 20,567 3,673,955 ACRES TOTAL Acres 5,806,028 6,663,651 425,061 112,183 346,035 13,352,957

RESOURCE BASED

CABINS Cabins 93 251 85 15 3,728 4,172 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 1,312 4,679 1,674 790 11,590 20,044 RV CAM PSITES Sites 2,229 3,867 3,241 2,027 150,677 162,041 HISTORIC SITES Sites 385 381 143 227 192 1,328
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 14 49 100 122 33 318
M USEUM S M useums 34 94 128 90 170 516 PICNIC TABLES Tables 2,243 6,874 20,593 17,626 68,750 116,086 HUNTING AREAS Acres 2,103,620 3,157,725 23,400 2,896 2,855 5,290,496

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 99.5 331.0 433.6 480.2 80.5 1424.8
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 140.4 1495.1 487.7 207.3 52.7 2383.2
CANOE TRAIL M iles 480.3 1143.5 231.2 100.7 339.3 2295.0
HIKING TRAIL M iles 839.4 3037.7 860.7 388.2 297.8 5423.8
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 228.7 1301.9 508.7 152.7 169.4 2361.4
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 85.4 171.7 499.5 496.6 72.3 1325.5
OHV TRAIL M iles 407.0 426.0 <0.1 0.1 <0.1 833.1
NATURE TRAIL M iles 303.8 910.5 671.6 375.6 213.4 2474.9

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.8 2.1 17.6 5.3 33.6 59.5 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 90 340 629 279 401 1,739 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 101 372 773 345 458 2,049 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 111 234 2,241 4,577 784 7,947 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 908 8,576 52,977 45,126 26,860 134,447 FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 120 97 3,482 69,742 1,356 74,797
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 6 2 6 13 430 457 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 44 120 221 633 10,744 11,762
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 26 45 180 227 92 570 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 4,425 4,278 15,316 23,114 43,045 90,178
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 180.2 110.1 86.6 87.1 37.1 501.1 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 40 46 260 267 326 939 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 58 64 420 359 367 1,268
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 57 53 182 192 147 631 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 23,197 25,859 59,337 119,175 42,671 270,239 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 11,050 2,086 8,002 16,205 10,854 48,197
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 18 4 19 68 828 937 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 1,439 309 1,271 5,723 36,974 45,716
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 17 23 119 148 105 412 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 7,514 22,907 40,379 57,172 20,435 148,407

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 67 80 2,463 2,666 195 5,471 BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 90 138 3,754 3,285 677 7,944 EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 66 87 1,790 2,465 473 4,881 FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 25 57 877 844 95 1,898 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 10 3 15 62 690 780 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 5 1 13 20 138 177 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 1 1 3 10 190 205 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 243 66 417 1,431 14,544 16,701
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 11 14 402 395 170 992 M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 14 69 922 676 241 1,922 OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 23 31 151 290 1,572 2,067 RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 27 227 653 734 266 1,907 SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 6 45 380 1,829 2,576 4,836 TENNIS COURTS Courts 115 399 1,786 2,737 4,244 9,281
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 1 54 293 231 53 632 Table 4.1 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Statewide 20074-5RESOURCE/FACILITYUNITSWESTFLORIDAAPALACHEENORTHCENTRALNORTHEASTWITHLACOOCHEEEASTCENTRALCENTRALTAMPABAYSOUTHWESTTREASURECOASTSOUTHSTATEWIDEOUTDOOR RECREATION AREASAreas 1,065 534 640 1,191 591 2,064 804 1,858 1,120 1,314 2,054 13,235LANDAcres 938,399 1,339,773 558,956 622,356 865,648 889,223 351,377 258,583 1,338,840 665,617 1,796,151 9,671,238WATERAcres 131,812 280,243 573,833 114,589 358,458 283,456 40,349 49,684 374,378 76,339 1,350,609 3,673,955ACRES TOTALAcres 1,070,373 1,620,016 1,132,788 736,964 1,224,136 1,186,592 391,816 325,764 1,713,633 748,130 3,146,974 13,352,957RESOURCE BASEDCABINS Cabins 164 222 315 644 674 547 306 646 208 63 382 4,172TENT CAMP SITESSites 1,968 1,684 1,692 1,302 3,323 4,547 1,009 1,191 1,236 804 1,290 20,044RV CAMPSITESSites 5,231 2,442 4,534 4,664 10,634 35,103 25,434 29,561 25,160 7,071 12,207 162,041HISTORIC SITESSites 66 176 70 343 91 295 24 17 103 35 108 1,328COMMEM STRUCTURESStructures 21 9 6 23 11 42 5 104 17 40 40 318MUSEUMSMuseums 34 18 33 58 27 94 19 55 52 55 71 516PICNIC TABLESTables 6,567 3,312 4,218 5,021 7,253 25,943 9,965 18,201 15,451 5,897 14,258 116,086HUNTING AREASAcres 658,525 946,422 342,155 345,394 565,384 429,431 128,767 58,320 771,385 343,366 698,451 5,290,496BIKE TRAIL PAVED Miles 32 48 69 71 99 240 57 136 191 79 404 1,425BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED Miles 84 160 231 228 314 462 177 313 168 173 74 2,383CANOE TRAIL Miles 295 234 252 177 314 244 53 160 211 65 292 2,295HIKING TRAIL Miles 299 555 486 493 564 924 429 393 509 392 420 5,424EQUESTRIAN TRAIL Miles 73 131 246 207 308 530 218 252 95 163 139 2,361JOGGING TRAILMiles 68 118 69 101 81 314 58 163 83 81 191 1,326OHV TRAILMiles 0 150 238 192 187 16 0 0 50 0 0 833NATURE TRAILMiles 105 298 207 186 259 407 195 194 252 117 254 2,475FRESHWATER BEACHMiles 2 1 1 1 2 10 4 24 2 10 3 59FRESHWATER BOAT RAMPS Ramps 225 159 144 155 151 291 249 78 97 80 110 1,739FRESHWATER BOAT RAMPS Lanes 233 210 179 176 168 345 283 102 106 103 144 2,049FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 43 59 21 67 75 157 59 72 203 7,146 45 7,947FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 8,756 7,240 5,905 8,496 8,881 50,395 10,374 18,002 7,756 33 8,609 134,447FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 525 0 722 0 5 10,927 25,750 30,551 1,340 250 4,727 74,797FRESHWATER MARINASMarinas 5 16 13 54 46 116 147 11 20 22 7 457FRESHWATER MARINASSlips 61 425 310 2,526 1,298 3,734 1,082 200 864 937 325 11,762FRESHWATER PIERSPiers 71 25 29 63 34 128 63 61 32 24 39 570FRESHWATER PIERSFeet 7,496 3,160 3,372 8,001 4,455 17,101 6,556 3,134 31,789 3,112 2,002 90,178SALTWATER BEACHMiles 119 51 0 51 0 53 0 52 67 40 68 501SALTWATER BOAT RAMPS Ramps 139 41 25 54 20 116 0 143 108 91 202 939SALTWATER BOAT RAMPS Lanes 177 59 27 69 24 156 0 213 139 121 283 1,268SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 86 9 8 40 8 99 0 147 98 71 65 631SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 24,702 2,789 535 9,153 1,020 37,181 0 35,738 32,021 19,060 108,040 270,239SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 2,201 0 0 6,306 1,830 1,150 0 2,201 7,750 5,443 21,316 48,197SALTWATER MARINASMarinas 89 19 8 26 6 60 0 105 163 127 334 937SALTWATER MARINA SLIPSSlips 4,447 859 236 2,292 123 4,119 0 7,825 6,395 5,455 13,965 45,716SALTWATER PIERSPiers 66 10 2 22 9 65 0 66 72 28 72 412SALTWATER PIERSFeet 44,987 2,680 750 14,805 2,035 11,973 0 39,236 13,205 5,295 13,441 148,407USER-ORIENTEDBASEBALL FIELDS Fields 487 256 210 587 307 820 379 764 314 589 758 5,471BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 335 244 501 677 482 1,368 451 1,043 373 931 1,539 7,944EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 358 209 252 468 229 855 242 657 296 519 796 4,881FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 133 60 78 171 101 309 76 260 93 243 374 1,898GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLECourses 47 9 6 60 48 114 42 90 102 159 103 780GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLECourses 10 11 8 13 11 15 25 19 21 26 18 177GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVECourses 45 2 2 4 4 17 21 26 23 35 26 205GOLF HOLES TOTALHoles 958 270 216 1,236 702 2,106 1,053 2,097 2,367 3,324 2,372 16,701MULTIUSE COURTSCourts 38 24 57 26 49 153 65 284 31 132 133 992MULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 142 68 170 134 116 296 78 230 92 308 288 1,922OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOLS Pools 118 46 48 137 87 319 139 285 264 230 394 2,067RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 52 89 73 81 98 314 87 203 85 321 504 1,907SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 101 14 50 101 234 993 656 1,154 576 433 524 4,836TENNIS COURTS Courts 489 220 196 617 224 1,295 379 1,330 915 1,489 2,127 9,281VOLLEYBALL COURTSCourts 16 11 84 61 42 129 26 23 56 82 102 632Table 4.2Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Region4—6 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

continue to grow in popularity each year. The reopening of repaired access points and re-nourished stretches of beach are vital to the region’s economy. Tourism continues to play a major role in the West region where high-rise condominiums, vacation homes, timeshares and resorts with beachside swimming pools dominate the coastline and attract visitors from all over the world.

West Florida’s two largest river systems, the Choctawhatchee and the Escambia, both originate in Alabama and flow south creating large estuaries before merging with the Gulf. Although Holmes and Washington counties are the only counties completely inland, the northern reaches of each of the region’scounties share a similar pattern of development. While the coastal region is highly urbanized and developed, the inland areasnorth of Interstate 10 remain sparsely developed and retain large forest resources that provide numerous opportunities for outdoor 

## West Florida Region

The West Florida Region encompasses 6,507 square miles and contains seven counties and 35 municipalities located in the western Florida Panhandle. Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties share 135 miles of coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. Holmes and Washington counties are inland and contain a total of 43 named freshwater springs, most occurring in Washington County.

The coastal counties are buffered by several barrier islands and peninsulas that offer miles of high quality white sandy beaches.Panhandle Florida beaches with their famous sugar-like sand were, until the last two decades, a well-kept secret known mainly to visitors from southeastern states who flocked to the Gulf Coast in the summer. Mexico Beach, Pensacola, Navarre, Destin, Ft. Walton and Panama City beaches all

Figure 4.1.1 Public Conservation Lands4—7 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

recreation. Camping, hunting, trail activities and a myriad of freshwater sports - including boating, fishing, water skiing, diving and swimming - are pleasurable activities with no urban area in sight.



## Economy

The large presence of the United States military in this region plays a key role in the local economy and is a major factor in landuse patterns, including the availability of recreation land. Military spending is a major component of employment and earnings in the region. According to a 2007 study by the Hass Center for Business Research at the University of West Florida, 45 percent of all military and civilian defense employment in Florida is centered in the West region. Military installations contain more than a halfmillion acres of land in the region. Each service of the military provides extensive outdoor recreation opportunities for active and retired staff and their dependents. Public hunting is provided on more than 287,000 acres of wildlife management areas on the Eglin and Tyndall reservations. 

## Demographics

Estimated population for the seven county area exceeded 918,000 in 2007. Mid-range projections estimate 1.1 million residents by 2020, a 32 percent increase from the 2000 census. Population densities range from a low of 40 persons per square mile in Holmes and Washington counties to a high of 470 persons per square mile in Escambia County. Table 4.1.1 displays the projected population growth for the region through 2020.

Eglin Air Force Base, Okaloosa County Table 4.1.1 Current and Projected Population West Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Bay 148,217 167,631 172,000 183,900 194,800 31.4 Escambia 294,410 311,755 316,200 328,000 338,900 15.1 Holmes 18,564 19,464 19,700 20,400 21,000 13.1 Okaloosa 170,498 196,540 202,400 218,000 232,400 36.3 Santa Rosa 117,743 142,144 148,200 163,400 177,500 50.8 Walton 40,601 57,093 60,800 70,300 79,300 95.3 Washington 20,973 23,719 24,800 27,700 29,000 38.3 Region Totals 811,006 918,346 944,100 1,011,700 1,072,900 32.3

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 20084—8 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

State 45.5%

Non-Government 2.1% Federal

51.7%

County 0.3%

Municipal 0.3% Figure 4.1.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider West Florida Region

St. Andrews State Park, Bay County 

### based recreation. The region has just more than one million acres available for outdoor recreation from both the public and private sectors, or 1.12 acres per capita. Figure4.1.2 displays the distribution of outdoor recreation acreage among the various levels of providers. 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

West Florida’s beaches, bays and estuariesare major attractions that offer an abundance of high quality opportunities for water-4—9 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Although county and municipal governmentsmake up a small portion of the outdoor recreation land in West Florida, they provide theoverwhelming majority of user-oriented facilities. Local governments manage a total of 759 recreation sites containing over 6,000 acres. These areas provide 434 baseball and softball fields, 249 basketball goals, 117 golf holes and 111 football fields. In addition to user-oriented facilities, local governments provide 11 miles of saltwater beach, 42 miles of jogging trails and 22 miles of nature trails, much of which are frequently used by locals and tourists alike.

A combination of commercial, non-profit andclub organizations make up the private sector supply, totaling 21,794 acres. The private sector manages 98 of the 118 inventoried outdoor swimming pools, 35 of the 47golf courses and 3,500 of the 4,447 saltwater marina slips in the region. In addition, the private sector is the leading provider oftennis courts, shuffleboard courts and freshwater marina slips. Most notably, the private Federal and state agencies provide more than 95 percent of the outdoor recreation land in the region. Federally-managed lands account for 51 percent of the land with EglinAir Force Base providing most of the acreage. Other federally-managed sites include Gulf Islands National Seashore, Tyndall AirForce Base and Pensacola Naval Air Station. In addition, 45 miles of hiking trails, 467 RV/trailer campsites, 31 baseball fields and 59 tennis courts are provided at federal

areas.

State agencies provide 45 percent (468,312acres) of outdoor recreation land in the region. The region contains 15 state parks, four aquatic preserves and four state forests that offer resource-based activities including hiking, horseback riding and picnicking. The state also provides 166 miles of canoe and kayak trails, 18 miles of saltwater beaches, four saltwater piers and 16 historic sites. Tyndall Youth Center, Bay County4—10 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Lake Stone Campground, Escambia County 

### Table 4.1.2 displays West Florida’s outdoor recreation resources by category of provider.Table 4.1.3 displays the major outdoor recreation areas provided or managed by federal, state and local government entities. sector accounts for 72 percent of the RV/trailer campsites in the region.

Emerald Beach RV Park , Okaloosa County4—11 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 19 76 395 364 211 1,065 LAND Acres 521,593 406,620 2,393 3,175 21,005 954,787 WATER Acres 52,192 77,917 777 137 789 131,812 ACRES TOTAL Acres 573,785 484,700 3,170 3,312 21,794 1,086,762

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 36 46 0 0 82 164 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 555 919 20 2 472 1,968 RV CAM PSITES Sites 467 827 135 0 3,802 5,231
HISTORIC SITES Sites 20 16 2 19 9 66
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 1 0 2 16 2 21
M USEUM S M useums 4 2 0 6 22 34 PICNIC TABLES Tables 887 776 1,244 1,071 2,589 6,567 HUNTING AREAS Acres 285,861 371,809 0 0 855 658,525

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 15.6 1.2 11.9 3.0 31.7
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 6.0 71.3 2.4 4.7 0.0 84.4
CANOE TRAIL M iles 80.2 166.0 9.0 0.0 40.0 295.2
HIKING TRAIL M iles 45.0 211.3 9.7 9.1 24.1 299.2
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 14.5 48.0 10.0 0.4 0.0 72.9
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 17.2 6.3 10.9 30.6 2.7 67.7
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 18.8 59.3 10.0 11.7 5.6 105.4

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.9 0.3 2.2 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 33 80 84 15 13 225
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 35 82 86 16 14 233
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 7 5 3 15 13 43 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 387 605 866 3,364 3,534 8,756
FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 120 5 150 0 250 525
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 2 0 0 0 3 5 FRESHWATER MARINAS Slips 6 0 0 0 55 61
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 14 7 30 13 7 71 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 3,700 346 1,549 1,405 496 7,496
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 86.0 18.1 4.3 7.2 3.0 118.6 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 14 6 30 45 44 139
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 22 10 35 61 49 177
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 20 11 7 31 17 86 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 15,425 1,150 1,625 3,457 3,045 24,702 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 1,000 5 250 56 890 2,201
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 9 0 2 3 75 89 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 459 0 15 473 3,500 4,447
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 6 4 18 28 10 66 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 5,950 2,056 11,189 22,407 3,385 44,987

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 31 7 196 238 15 487
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 38 4 73 176 44 335
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 17 11 118 174 38 358
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 11 2 54 60 6 133 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 6 0 0 6 35 47 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 2 0 0 0 8 10 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 1 1 1 0 42 45
GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 144 3 9 108 694 958
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 6 5 8 5 14 38
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 8 3 61 52 18 142
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 12 2 0 6 98 118
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 9 23 5 10 5 52
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 2 6 6 25 62 101
TENNIS COURTS Courts 59 35 38 153 204 489
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 0 8 5 3 16 Table 4.1.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider West Florida Region 20074—12 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area. State Parks (continued) Acres Deer Lake 1,995 Eden Gardens 162 Falling Waters 173 Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou 346 Grayton Beach 2,172 Henderson Beach 219 Navarre Beach 130 Perdido Key 290 Ponce de Leon Springs 349 St. Andrews 1,170 Tarkiln Bayou 4,262 Topsail Hill 1,643 Yellow River Marsh 815 Water Management District Lands

Northwest Florida WMD

Blackwater River 380 Choctawhatchee River* 60,596 Econfina Creek* 41,168 Garcon Point 3,245 Lower Escambia* 34,919 Perdido River * 5,456 Yellow River* 17,721 Wildlife Management Areas Blue Water Creek* 21,000 

### Federal Areas

Military Installations Acres Eglin Air Force Base 460,909 Tyndall Air Force Base 28,823 National Park Lands Gulf Islands National Seashore 66,584



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Fort Pickens 34,000 Rocky Bayou 480 St. Andrew’s Bay 25,000 Yellow River Marsh 16,435 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway 11 Greenways and Trails Blackwater Heritage Trail 10 State Forests Acres Blackwater River* 206,351 Cottage Hill 31 Pine Log * 8,621 Point Washington * 15,321



### ( Florida portion)

State Parks Big Lagoon 732 Blackwater River 636 Camp Helen 182 Table 4.1.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas West Florida Region 2007



### Reported County and Municipal Areas County
Areas Acres Areas Acres Bay 99 288 120 666
Escambia 104 1,193 97 630 Holmes 13 65 8 52 Okaloosa 50 223 95 1,211 Santa Rosa 59 300 17 370 Walton 40 444 16 273 Washington 30 657 11 112 Municipal4—13 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

formed by the confluence of two rivers outside the state: the Flint River in Alabama and the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. As the Apalachicola flows south to the Gulf of Mexico, its waters strongly influence the estuarine conditions in the highly productive Apalachicola Bay system. Along the coast, barrier islands provide sandy beaches and help to protect the mainland from the fullforce of tropical storms. Typical natural features in the northern part of the region include riverine swamps and wetlands, forested uplands and vast pinelands. 

## Apalachee Region

The Apalachee Region is comprised of nine counties and 29 municipalities covering 6,757 acres. The coastlines of Franklin, Gulf and Wakulla counties extend 86 miles eastto west along the Gulf of Mexico in the northern Big Bend area. Calhoun, Gadsden,Jackson, Jefferson, Leon and Liberty counties are located inland.

The Apalachicola and Ochlockonee Riversdivide the region into three distinct geographical areas. Although the Apalachicola River is located entirely within Florida, it is

Figure 4.2.1 Public Conservation Lands4—14 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

The Old Capitol Building in Tallahassee, Leon County



## Economy

The economy of the region is heavily dependent on government employment and spending. Tallahassee, the state capital, is located in Leon County which, as the seat of government for the fourth largest state in thenation and home to two major state universities, is the most urbanized county in the region and is a principal business and commercial hub. The surrounding counties are predominantly rural and contain well over a million acres of public conservation land.Every county in the region with the exception of Leon County, has been designatedas a “Rural Area of Critical Economic Concern” by the state. This designation provides incentives and benefits aimed at giving these communities an advantage in attracting industries and jobs. Regional employment in timber harvesting, pulp and paper manufacturing, and fishing and seafood processing has significantlydeclined. In the past two decades, thousands of acres of timberland have been offered for sale in response to structural changes in the pulp and paper industry. Inthe 1990s, saltwater net ban legislation seriously curtailed the seafood industry, andmajor storms in 2002, 2004 and 2005 further damaged the region’s fisheries. In 2007, drought conditions dealt yet anotherblow to one of the region’s remaining seafood sectors - shellfish harvesting. Disruptions to the historical flows of fresh waterfrom the Apalachicola River have had substantial negative impacts on the region’s once vigorous shellfish industry.

Tourism is another major component of the region’s economy. Many out-of-state visi-4—15 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.2.1 Current and Projected Population Apalachee Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Calhoun 13,017 14,477 14,800 15,600 16,300 25.2 Franklin 9,829 12,249 12,400 13,000 13,500 37.3 Gadsden 45,087 49,398 50,700 52,700 54,600 21.1 Gulf 14,560 16,815 17,100 17,900 18,600 27.7 Jackson 46,555 50,416 53,100 54,800 56,500 21.4 Jefferson 12,902 14,494 14,700 15,300 15,800 22.5 Leon 239,452 272,896 279,200 297,300 312,400 30.5 Liberty 7,021 7,772 7,900 8,300 8,700 23.9 Wakulla 22,863 29,417 32,500 36,500 40,200 75.8 Region Totals 411,286 467,934 482,400 511,400 536,600 30.5

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2008



### tors and Florida residents vacation in the region’s beach towns. Visitors also travel to the springs, sinkholes and caverns found in the region’s state parks, national forests andstate forests. The region also has an abundance of historical and archaeological sites, which are highly popular among both tourists and residents.



## Demographics

In 2007, the Apalachee Region contained 2.5 percent of Florida’s total population,most residing in Leon County. Total estimated 2007 population for the nine-county area was 468,000. Mid-range projections estimate 537,000 residents by 2020, a 30 percent increase from 2000. Population density ranges from nine persons per square mile in Liberty County to 409 persons per square mile in Leon County. Table 4.2.1 displays population and projected growth for the region through 2020. Blountstown Greenway, Calhoun County4—16 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Federal

56.7%

State
42.1%

County

0.3%

Municipal
0.2% Non-Government
0.7% Figure 4.2.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Apalachee Region



### oped coastlines and many rural communities.

The Apalachee Region has over 1.6 million acres of land available for outdoor recreation use, or 3.5 acres per capita. As shown inFigure 4.2.2, virtually all of the outdoor recreation land is provided by public agencies. Federally-managed lands account for a large portion of the resource-based outdoor recreation opportunities. Of the hunting lands, 60 percent is managed by the federal government. Federal agencies also provide 280 miles of hiking trails, 132 miles of nature trails and 47 miles of unpaved bicycle trails.The major federal properties are the Apalachicola National Forest, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and the St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge.

State agencies are the second largest category of outdoor recreation providers in the region. State agencies manage 42 percent of the inventoried land available for outdoor recreation. There are 98 state owned sites that provide 484 tent campsites, 308 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

The region’s diverse geography provides a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. The sandy Gulf beaches, barrier islands, bays and estuaries of the Coastal Lowlandsand the large areas of forested uplands provide for camping, hiking, nature study, bicycle riding, saltwater and freshwater beachactivities, fishing and boating. The Apalachicola National Forest covers 569,638 acres in Franklin, Leon, Wakulla and Liberty countiesand offers a wide range of outdoor recreation on a large scale. The largest national forest in Florida, it is also one of the largestremaining intact areas of freshwater savannas and pine forests in the state. Also in the region, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is a bird watchers paradise which every year attracts visitors from all over the world asthis outdoor recreation activity gains in popularity. Local communities in the region are turning to nature-based tourism to promoteand market the area’s unique natural resources, including the still largely undevel-4—17 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

larly for the freshwater and saltwater shoreline fishing including seven saltwater fishing piers and 14 freshwater piers.

Within the private sector, there are 96 outdoor recreation sites distributed over 11,934 acres of land. The private sector provides the majority of cabins, tent campsites and RV/trailer campsites. This sector also offers 15 freshwater marinas with a total of 412 slips and 16 saltwater marinas providing 743 marina slips for recreational boating use. The non-government sector also providesthe majority of the region’s golfing opportunities.RV/trailer campsites, 150 miles of offhighway vehicle trails and 65 miles of unpaved bicycle trails.

Although less than one percent of the recreation acreage in the region is administeredby local governments, these suppliers provide the bulk of user-oriented facilities.There are 329 local government outdoor recreation sites that provide 239 baseball/softball fields, 202 basketball goals, 176 equipped play areas and 127 tennis courts. In addition to the user-oriented facilities theyprovide, local governments provide extensive resource-based opportunities, particuT.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Gulf County4—18 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 11 98 180 149 96 534 LAND Acres 905,604 472,731 5,046 2,822 11,499 1,397,702 WATER Acres 12,957 266,777 37 37 435 280,243 ACRES TOTAL Acres 918,561 739,508 5,083 2,859 11,934 1,677,945

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 50 6 0 166 222 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 40 484 98 2 1,060 1,684 RV CAM PSITES Sites 85 308 115 20 1,914 2,442
HISTORIC SITES Sites 7 75 4 65 25 176
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 0 5 0 4 0 9
M USEUM S M useums 0 8 2 5 3 18 PICNIC TABLES Tables 176 757 656 476 1,247 3,312 HUNTING AREAS Acres 571,624 374,798 0 0 0 946,422

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 29.0 5.8 12.9 0.0 47.7
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 47.0 65.3 21.8 26.1 0.0 160.2
CANOE TRAIL M iles 75.2 153.5 5.0 0.0 0.0 233.7
HIKING TRAIL M iles 279.5 182.9 32.6 43.0 16.8 554.8
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 34.0 67.5 6.8 17.7 5.0 131.0
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 37.0 23.9 13.9 41.9 1.0 117.7
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 150.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 150.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 131.7 75.5 25.8 36.5 28.7 298.2

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.2 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.2 1.3 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 15 54 68 3 19 159
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 15 62 103 5 25 210
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 4 32 4 18 59 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 1,710 3,645 564 1,321 7,240
FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 1 0 0 0 15 16 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 10 3 0 0 412 425
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 1 5 14 0 5 25 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 50 384 2,178 0 548 3,160
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 22.3 25.3 1.8 0.3 1.1 50.7 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 1 3 8 12 17 41
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 1 4 13 21 20 59
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 4 3 1 1 9 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 175 1,700 664 250 2,789
SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 1 0 2 16 19 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 0 30 0 86 743 859
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 0 0 1 6 3 10 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 0 0 225 2,105 350 2,680

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 0 10 95 144 7 256
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 0 27 105 97 15 244
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 0 10 54 122 23 209
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 0 12 14 31 3 60 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 2 0 1 6 9 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 1 0 1 9 11 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 0 2 2
GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 45 0 27 198 270
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 1 8 9 6 24
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 11 17 32 8 68
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 0 5 0 13 28 46
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 0 59 4 21 5 89
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 1 4 2 7 14
TENNIS COURTS Courts 0 68 36 91 25 220
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 0 3 8 0 11 Table 4.2.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Apalachee Region 20074—19 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Federal Areas

National Estuarine Research Reserves** Apalachicola Bay 246,766 National Forests Apalachicola* 569,638 National Wildlife Refuges St. Marks (Wakulla and Jefferson

St. Vincent* 12,490



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Alligator Harbor 14,366 Apalachicola Bay 80,000 Big Bend Seagrasses (Wakulla 100,000

Lake Jackson 4,700 St. Joseph Bay 66,702 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Big Bend Scenic Byway 220 Greenways and Trails Tallahassee-St. Marks Trail 16 State Forests Acres Lake Talquin* 17,491 Tate’s Hell* 202,437 Wakulla* 4,219 State Parks Alfred B. Maclay Gardens 1,179 Bald Point 4,859 Constitution Convention 13 Army Corps of Engineers Acres Lake Seminole (Florida portion)* 7,952

DeSoto Site 5 Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George

Island 2,023 County portion)* 69,815

County portion) State Parks (continued) Acres Edward Ball Wakulla Springs 6,055 Florida Caverns 1,279 John Gorrie Museum 1 Lake Jackson Mounds 205 Lake Talquin 552 Letchworth-Love Mounds 188 Natural Bridge Battlefield 9 Ochlockonee River 544 Orman House 1 San Marcos de Apalache 15 St. Marks River 2,584 T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph

Peninsula 2,716 Three Rivers 668 Torreya 13,204 Water Management District Lands

Northwest Florida WMD

Apalachicola River* 36,315 Upper Chipola River* 7,377 Suwannee River WMD

Middle Aucilla* 9,218 Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife & Environmental Areas Apalachicola River* 64,471 Aucilla (Jefferson County Portion)* 37, 532 Box-R* 8,397 Flint Rock* 15,627 Joe Budd* 11,039 L. Kirk Edwards* 718 Robert Brent* 8,532 Middle Aucilla River* 2,200

* Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area.

** National Estuarine Research Reserves are designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas

. Table 4.2.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Apalachee Region 20074—20 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

J. Lewis Hall, Sr. Park, Leon County County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres Calhoun 11 240 4 36 Franklin 35 165 18 26 Gadsden 20 45 32 134 Gulf 22 343 13 149 Jackson 24 1,310 20 410 Jefferson 5 87 1 2 Leon 42 2,310 56 2,067 Liberty 7 93 0 0 Wakulla 14 524 5 45 

### Reported County and Municipal Areas Table 4.2.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Apalachee Region 2007 (continued)4—21 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Estuaries formed by the region’s many rivers and creeks support an excellent fishery, which contributes to the area’s significance as a recreational resource. The inland counties of Alachua, Bradford, Columbia,Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee and Union are a mix of forested uplands, agricultural lands and wetlands crisscrossed by rivers and streams. The region’sdominant hydrological system is the Suwannee River, which originates in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and flows 245 miles through this region before it empties 

## North Central Florida Region

The North Central Florida Region encompasses 7,245 square miles. It contains 11 counties and 33 municipalities located on the Coastal Lowlands and Central Highlands physiographic regions. The coastal counties of Dixie and Taylor share approximately 60miles of coastline that contains large expanses of seagrasses, shallow banks and tidal marshlands along the upper Gulf of Mexico.

Figure 4.3.1 Public Conservation Lands4—22 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

to the University of Florida, is the most urbanized of the 11 counties in the region.With the highest enrollment in the State University System, the university and its manyinstitutes, research units and medical facilities is a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurial activity that spills over into the surrounding communities.

Tourism in the North Central region is beginning to play an increasingly important role in the economy. Perhaps the largest tourist draw in the region is the University of Florida. Successful sports and athletic programs draw thousands of out-of-state visitors to these widely attended games. In addition, the Suwannee River, one of the bestknown rivers in the United States, draws visitors year-round. into the Gulf. The Suwannee and its several main tributaries are dotted with towns, parks and trails from which visitors can explore the river and its surrounding areas by canoe, kayak, bicycle, horse, automobile or on foot.



## Economy

Agriculture, forest industries and fishing have provided employment for the region’s population for generations. Changes in many traditional resource-based industrieshave resulted in job losses and worker displacement. All of the counties in the region with the exception of Alachua County aredesignated as “Rural Areas of Critical Economic Concern” and qualify for state economic development incentives. Due to its abundance of high quality natural resources,the region is positioning itself as a naturebased tourism destination under the theme of “Original Florida.” Alachua County, home Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, Alachua County4—23 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Steinhatchee River, Dixie County 

### percent increase from 2000 census figures. Population densities range from 15 persons per square mile in Lafayette County to 283 persons per square mile in Alachua County. Table 4.3.1 displays projected population growth for the region through 2020. 

## Demographics

In 2007, the North Central region contained 2.7 percent of Florida’s total population, reaching 496,000. Mid-range projections estimate 572,000 residents by 2020, a 31 Table 4.3.1 Current and Projected Population North Central Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Alachua 217,955 247,561 253,400 269,900 283,200 29.9 Bradford 26,088 29,055 29,600 30,900 32,200 23.4 Columbia 56,513 65,373 67,700 72,700 77,300 36.8 Dixie 13,827 15,808 16,300 17,500 18,600 34.5 Gilchrist 14,437 17,106 17,800 19,700 21,500 48.9 Hamilton 13,327 14,705 14,900 15,400 15,800 18.6 Lafayette 7,022 8,215 9,200 10,100 10,500 49.5 Madison 18,733 19,944 20,300 21,000 21,700 15.8 Suwannee 34,844 39,608 42,800 46,100 49,100 40.9 Taylor 19,256 22,516 22,900 23,900 24,800 28.8 Union 13,442 15,722 16,100 16,900 17,600 30.9 Region Totals 435,444 495,613 511,000 544,100 572,300 31.4

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 20084—24 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Federal

12.1%

Non-Government
1.0% Municipal
0.9% County
1.1% State
84.9%



### ally-managed lands are available for public hunting.

State agencies provide more than 960,000acres of outdoor recreation lands in the region, or 85 percent of the total recreation acreage. Most of the state-managed siteswere acquired by the Suwannee River Water Management District. The region’s 17 state parks provide more than 46,000 acres of land. The state is the largest provider of recreational trails in the region with 205 miles of unpaved bicycle trails, 151 miles of equestrian trails, 354 miles of hiking trails,104 miles of nature trails and 38 miles of offhighway vehicles trails. State agencies also provide 219 tent campsites, 213 RV/trailercampsites and 27 cabins, among other facilities. 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

The diversity of this region’s natural, cultural and historic resources supports a wide and diverse array of recreation opportunities. Many of these are water-based, owing to the vast marshes, estuaries and seagrasses of the Gulf coast and the largest concentration of first magnitude freshwater springs in the entire world.

More than 1.1 million acres are available foroutdoor recreation in the North Central region. Three federally-administered management areas are located in the region. The Osceola National Forest, Lower Suwannee River National Wildlife Refuge and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge provide 136,767acres of land for low-intensity outdoor recreation. Nearly 115,000 acres of the federFigure 4.3.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider North Central Florida Region4—25 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Alachua County Fairgrounds, Alachua County



### Local governments provide 392 individualoutdoor recreation sites in the region containing over 22,000 acres. County and municipal governments account for 90 percentof the baseball fields, 83 percent of the basketball goals and 85 percent of the football fields in the region. Local governments alsoprovide the majority of museums, paved bicycle trails, and both freshwater and saltwater shoreline fishing facilities.

The private commercial sector plays a vitalrole in providing recreation areas and facilities. Non-governmental providers make more than 11,000 acres available for public uses at 108 sites. Private campgrounds and fish camps play a particularly important role in providing water access facilities, including 28 boat ramps, 5,560 campsites and 288 rental cabins. The private sector also provides many user-oriented sites, including swimming pools, golf courses and tennis courts. Some of these sites are provided by private forest management operations.

The Suwannee River Wilderness Trail is the centerpiece of a large-scale, cooperativelymanaged recreational resource that ties together federal, state and water managementdistrict lands in partnership with local governments and private sector businesses in the region. The trail consists of a series of recreational hubs and more remote river camps spaced a day’s paddle apart. Visitors can enjoy the Suwannee on a trip of a day or two, or travel the entire 170-mile length of the trail from the town of White Springs to the river’s mouth at the town of Suwannee.4—26 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 4 136 217 175 108 640 LAND Acres 136,767 389,737 11,721 9,660 11,072 558,956 WATER Acres 100 572,166 775 573 219 573,833 ACRES TOTAL Acres 136,867 961,902 12,496 10,232 11,291 1,132,788

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 27 0 0 288 315 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 25 219 64 15 1,370 1,692 RV CAM PSITES Sites 0 213 125 6 4,190 4,534
HISTORIC SITES Sites 1 39 21 4 5 70
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 0 2 3 1 0 6
M USEUM S M useums 0 18 5 8 2 33 PICNIC TABLES Tables 20 526 756 618 2,298 4,218 HUNTING AREAS Acres 114,361 227,794 0 0 0 342,155

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 26.8 25.8 16.7 0.0 69.3
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 0.1 204.5 15.1 0.0 11.0 230.7
CANOE TRAIL M iles 7.0 184.5 22.0 0.0 38.0 251.5
HIKING TRAIL M iles 27.3 354.0 42.3 22.9 39.8 486.3
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 50.0 150.7 25.0 0.3 20.0 246.0
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 0.0 31.3 17.3 18.9 1.1 68.6
OHV TRAIL M iles 200.0 38.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 238.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 3.0 103.8 45.5 31.9 22.7 206.9

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.5 1.4 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 1 25 84 6 28 144
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 2 28 93 7 49 179
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 2 2 2 15 21 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 120 90 2,520 3,175 5,905
FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 722 0 0 722
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 0 0 13 13 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 3 2 0 305 310
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 0 8 7 7 7 29 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 0 1,040 580 1,514 238 3,372
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 2 7 7 0 9 25
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 2 7 8 0 10 27
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 2 0 0 0 6 8
SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 20 0 0 0 515 535
SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 0 0 8 8 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 0 0 0 0 236 236
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 1 0 1 0 0 2
SALTWATER PIERS Feet 50 0 700 0 0 750

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 0 10 83 104 13 210
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 0 30 212 206 53 501
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 0 7 93 115 37 252
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 0 5 34 32 7 78 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 1 5 6 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 0 8 8 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 0 2 2
GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 0 0 18 198 216
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 1 37 11 8 57
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 16 102 42 10 170
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 0 2 2 8 36 48
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 0 18 17 37 1 73
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 4 3 16 27 50
TENNIS COURTS Courts 0 50 41 71 34 196
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 30 28 16 10 84 Table 4.3.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider North Central Florida Region 20074—27 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Federal Areas

National Forests Acres Osceola (Columbia County portion)* 108,300 National Wildlife Refuges Lower Suwannee River (Dixie

County portion)* 27,866 St. Marks (Taylor County portion)* 681



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Big Bend Seagrasses (Taylor 545,000

and Dixie County portion) St. Martins Marsh 23,000 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Old Florida Heritage Highway 48 Greenways and Trails Palatka to Lake Butler Trail (Bradford and Union County

Segment) 20 Nature Coast Trail (Dixie and

Gilchrist County segment) 23 State Forests Acres Big Shoals* 1,629 Twin Rivers * 14,882 State Parks Big Shoals 1,652 Devil’s Millhopper 67 Dudley Farm 327 Econfina River 4,528 Forest Capital 14 Ichetucknee Springs 2,534 Lafayette Blue Springs 195 Madison Blue Spring 44 Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 72 O’Leno 1,714 Paynes Prairie 20,795 Peacock Springs 278 River Rise 4,482 San Felasco Hammock 6,986 Stephen Foster 846 Troy Spring 78 Suwannee River 1,934 University of Florida Acres Austin Cary Memorial Forest 2,083 Water Management District Lands

St. Johns River WMD

Lochloosa * 10,333 Longleaf Flatwoods 1,388 Newnans Lake 6,504 Suwannee River WMD

47 Bridge 392 Alapahoochee 1,075 Allardt 443 Allen Mill Pond 608 Avoca 126 Bay Creek 2,233 Belmont 93 Big Pine 128 Blue Sink 710 Branford Bend 1,025 Cabbage Creek* 2,387 Cabbage Grove* 2,047 Camp Branch 200 Christian 338 Cuba Bay 1,988 Cypress Creek * 1,328 Cypress Creek South 21 Duck Pond 151 Falling Creek 504 Falmouth Spring 276 Fox Trail 199 Gar Pond 877 Goose Pasture* 1,060 Hart Springs Estate 99 Hartsfield 326 Holton Creek* 2,531 Hopewell 550 Hunter Creek 276 Jennings Bluff 500 Jerry Branch 519 Jones Mill Creek* 2,884 Trail 170 Suwannee River Wilderness Trail Miles Table 4.3.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas

North Central Florida Region 2007

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area.4—28 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area. Suwannee River WMD (continued) Acres

Shelly 812 Sneads lake 150 Steinhatchee Falls 1,766 Steinhatchee Rise 3,559 Steinhatchee Springs* 20,909 Sugar Creek 670 Sunnyvale 540 Suwannee Springs 135 Suwannee Street 624 Swift Creek 319 Trillium Slopes 60 Troy Springs * 1,810 Tyree 213 White Springs 277 Woods Ferry 1,094 Wildlife Management Areas,

Aucilla 1,000 Big Bend 71,813 Fort White* 1,329 Grove Park* 19,637 PotashCorp-White Springs* 2,000 Raiford* 16,000 San Pedro Bay* 21,760 Suwannee Ridge* 1,425 and Mitigation Parks Sapp Landing 433

Wildlife Environmental Areas, Suwannee River WMD (continued) Acres

Lamont* 804 Levings 193 Lindsey 876 Linville 173
Little Creek 558 Little River* 2,203
Little Shoals 400 Log Landing 1,147 Mallory Swamp* 30,501 Mattair Springs 1,188 McAlpin 1,045 Mt. Gilead* 2109 Mud Swamp 837 Natural Well Branch 3,713 New Pine Landing 43 Osteen 203 Peacock Slough 1,174 Purvis Landing 335 R.O. Ranch 2,500 Rocky Creek 251 Ruth Springs 649 Sandlin Bay* 4,128 Santa Fe Swamp* 5,708 Jones Mill Creek* 2,884 Jerry Branch 519 Jennings Bluff 500 Table 4.3.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas

North Central Florida Region 2007 (continued)

County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres Alachua 69 9,354 98 9,097 Bradford 9 17 17 64 Columbia 18 1,130 19 394
Dixie 25 193 5 10 Gilchrist 17 303 7 29 Hamilton 13 64 6 19 Lafayette 17 618 1 4 Madison 13 222 7 45 Suwannee 18 289 4 24 Taylor 11 176 7 67 Union 8 100 4 487 

### Reported County and Municipal Areas *Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area. Suwannee River WMD (continued) Acres

Sneads Lake 150 Steinhatchee Falls 1,766 Steinhatchee Rise 3,559 Steinhatchee Springs* 20,909 Sugar Creek 670 Sunnyvale 540 Suwannee Springs 135 Suwannee Street 624 Swift Creek 319 Trillium Slopes 60 Troy Springs * 1,810 Tyree 213 White Springs 277 Woods Ferry 1,094 Wildlife Management Areas, Wildlife & Environmental Areas, and Mitigation Parks Aucilla (Taylor County portion)* 1,000 Big Bend* 71,813 Fort White 1,329 Grove Park* 19,637 PotashCorp-White Springs* 2,000 Raiford* 16,000 San Pedro Bay* 21,760 Suwannee Ridge* 1,429 Suwannee River WMD (continued) Acres

Lamont* 804 Levings 193 Lindsey 876 Linville 173
Little Creek 558 Little River* 2,203
Little Shoals 400 Log Landing 1,147 Mallory Swamp* 30,501 Mattair Springs 1,188 McAlpin 1,045 Mt. Gilead* 2,109 Mud Swamp 837 Natural Well Branch 3,713 New Pine Landing 43 Osteen 203

Peacock Slough 1,174 Purvis Landing 335 R.O. Ranch 2,500 Rocky Creek 251 Ruth Springs 649 Sandlin Bay* 4,128 Santa Fe Swamp* 5,708 Sapp Landing 433 Shelly 812 Owens Spring 4744—29 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Figure 4.4.1 Public Conservation Lands 

## Northeast Florida Region

The Northeast Florida Region encompasses5,096 square miles in seven counties located across the Coastal Lowlands and Central Highlands . The coastal counties of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns and Flagler extend 140 miles along the Atlantic Ocean from the Georgia border to the southern border of Flagler County. Five primary barrier islands offer miles of sandy beach access and vast marshlands, open water and small islands of coastal scrub and hammock vegetation.4—30 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

gion’s outstanding natural and cultural resources support excellent outdoor recreationopportunities, many of which are waterbased.



## Economy

Consolidated Duval County/City of Jacksonville is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, in terms of size. It is the economic engine for this region and itsdynamic mix of business and industrial development is unique in Florida. Anchored by an excellent airport with extensive domesticflights and one of Florida’s busiest deepwater ports, this region continues to rely on amix of natural resources, industrial development, military bases, history and culture, and a sophisticated hospitality infrastructure that is attractive to visitors.

The region has a dynamic tourism industry. The success of tourism in this region is due to the amenities that a large metropolitan area can offer, such as downtown areas, sporting events, concerts, restaurants and special events. A large metropolitan area combined with nearby, yet isolated beaches,The inland counties of Baker, Clay and Putnam extend north to south along a centralridge of continuously high ground that straddles the boundary between the Northern Highland and the Trail Ridge physiographic regions. The Trail Ridge is a relict barrier island dominated by well-drained sandhill soils, remnants of a geological era when these areas formed the Atlantic coastline.

The region is crisscrossed by rivers, creeks and blackwater streams, and its river basins were critical factors in shaping the state’s history and development. The region’s dominant system is the lower St. Johns River. The St. Johns, originating in central Florida, is the longest river lying completely within the state and flows northward for 310 miles before emptying into the AtlanticOcean at the town of Mayport. After merging with the Nassau River, it forms a vast and highly productive estuarine system of salt marshes and tidal creeks. The St. Mary’s River flows in a southerly and then eastern direction from the Okefenokee Swamp, dipping into Florida through Bakerand Nassau counties before moving northward to form the state border and empty intothe Atlantic at Kings Bay. The Northeast rePellicer Creek, St. Johns County4—31 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

range projections estimate 652,400 new residents by 2020, (a 52 percent increase from 2000), making this region one of thefastest-growing in Florida. Population density ranges from a low of 44 persons per square mile in Baker County to a high of 1,160 persons per square mile in Duval County. Table 4.4.1 displays the currentand projected population for the sevencounty area through 2020. world class golf courses and the largest river in Florida provide tourists and residents with a large variety of activities from which to choose.



## Demographics

The Northeast region’s population represented eight percent of Florida’s total population in 2007, reaching 1.5 million. MidTimucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, Nassau County Table 4.4.1 Current and Projected Population Northeast Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Baker 22,259 25,623 26,400 28,400 30,200 35.7 Clay 140,814 184,644 194,700 221,200 245,800 74.6 Duval 778,879 897,597 922,800 989,900 1,051,800 35.0 Flagler 49,832 93,568 103,500 129,400 153,800 208.6 Nassau 57,663 69,569 72,500 80,100 87,200 51.2 Putnam 70,423 74,799 75,800 78,400 80,800 14.7 St. Johns 123,135 176,935 185,800 216,800 245,800 99.6 Region Totals 1,243,005 1,522,735 1,581,500 1,744,200 1,895,400 52.5

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 20084—32 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008



## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

More than 730,000 acres of public and private outdoor recreation land and water are located in the Northeast region. As shown in Figure 4.4.2, state agencies are the largest category of providers in terms of acreage,accounting for over 60 percent of all recreational acreage. Some 448,000 acres are provided at 76 separate areas, variously designated as state parks, state forests and wildlife management areas. These areas provide 19 miles of saltwater beach, 221,917 acres of hunting lands, 263 miles of hiking trails, five freshwater piers and two saltwater piers.

Federal agencies provide nearly 29 percent of the region’s recreational acreage, totaling212,295 acres, at seven primary management areas. The region contains portions of the Ocala and Osceola National Forests and the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, aswell as four units of the National Park SysCounty
1.1% Municipal
4.7% Non-Government
4.5% State
60.9% Federal

28.8% Figure 4.4.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Northeast Florida Region

Anastasia State Park , St. Johns County4—33 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Golf Course, Duval County



### tem. Over half of the federally-administered acreage is available for public hunting. Inaddition to hunting, the federal agencies provide three freshwater piers, nine commemorative structures and 248 saltwater marina slips, among other facilities.

County and municipal governments administer 42,433 acres of land and water at 895separate outdoor recreation areas. Useroriented activities are a major source of recreation for residents and tourists in the region. Local governments provide 94 percentof the baseball fields, 84 percent of the basketball goals and 92 percent of the football fields in the region. Local governments arethe largest providers of many resourcebased facilities, including bicycle, jogging and nature trails, freshwater and saltwater boat ramps, and freshwater and saltwater shoreline fishing facilities. The private sector plays an important role aswell. Private suppliers provide 205 recreation areas and 33,344 total acres. They account for 3,855 RV/trailer campsites, 590 cabins and 384 tent campsites and supply more freshwater and saltwater marinas than any other category. In addition, 88 percent of the region’s golf courses are provided by the private sector.

Table 4.4.2 shows the Northeast region’soutdoor recreation resource facilities by provider. Table 4.4.3 displays outdoor recreation opportunities provided or managed by national, state and municipal entities.4—34 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 15 76 255 640 205 1,191 LAND Acres 258,205 345,556 7,971 33,982 31,992 677,706 WATER Acres 6,715 112,371 65 415 1,332 120,899 ACRES TOTAL Acres 251,490 458,927 8,036 34,397 33,344 786,194

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 16 34 5 590 645 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 88 514 182 134 384 1,302 RV CAM PSITES Sites 32 331 90 356 3,855 4,664
HISTORIC SITES Sites 246 51 13 24 9 343
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 9 4 0 9 1 23
M USEUM S M useums 5 12 8 16 17 58 PICNIC TABLES Tables 281 831 829 1,985 1,095 5,021 HUNTING AREAS Acres 123,477 221,917 0 2,896 0 348,290

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 2.5 0.0 46.1 22.1 0.0 70.7
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 1.2 138.0 22.5 64.2 2.0 227.9
CANOE TRAIL M iles 5.1 158.8 3.8 1.0 8.0 176.7
HIKING TRAIL M iles 44.2 263.6 54.4 72.7 18.7 453.6
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 0.0 136.3 33.5 32.3 5.0 207.1
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 5.5 5.0 26.8 60.1 3.5 100.9
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 192.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 192.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 4.2 66.7 29.0 84.4 2.0 186.3

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.7 1.4 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 6 13 38 63 35 155
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 7 15 45 67 42 176
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 3 8 24 32 67 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 1,740 1,411 2,518 2,827 8,496
FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 3 4 47 54 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 0 173 107 2,246 2,526
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 3 5 19 26 11 64 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 75 285 2,135 3,254 2,252 8,001
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 1.6 18.8 13.2 16.5 1.0 51.1 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 0 5 20 15 14 54
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 0 4 24 26 15 69
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 16 14 3 7 40 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 5,648 2,750 455 300 9,153 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 1,250 6 50 5,000 0 6,306
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 1 0 1 4 20 26 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 248 0 0 243 1,801 2,292
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 0 3 10 4 5 22 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 0 8,150 1,589 3,500 1,566 14,805

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 16 6 235 318 12 587
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 9 30 255 312 71 677
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 22 10 130 275 31 468
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 3 3 64 94 7 171 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 1 0 0 6 53 60 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 3 0 3 3 4 13 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 0 4 4 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 45 0 27 135 1,029 1,236
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 2 3 16 5 26
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 2 11 39 60 22 134
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 3 3 23 33 75 137
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 6 10 34 13 18 81
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 0 5 50 46 101
TENNIS COURTS Courts 28 23 109 203 254 617
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 1 3 31 23 3 61 Table 4.4.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Northeast Florida Region 20074—35 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.4.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Northeast Florida Region 2007

Greenways and Trails (continued) Miles Palatka to Lake Butler Trail (Putnam

and Clay County Segment) 16 State Forests Acres Belmore 8,736 Cary ** 13,044 Etoniah Creek ** 8,702 Four Creeks 10,616 Jennings ** 23,995 John Bethea** 37,736 Matanzas ** 4,668 Ralph E. Simmons ** 3,638 Watson Island 506 Welaka ** 2,288 State Parks Amelia Island 230 Anastasia 1,644 Big Talbot Island 1,708 Bulow Creek (Flagler County

portion) 406 Bulow Plantation Ruins 151 Dunns Creek 6,235 Faver-Dykes 6,046 Fernandina Plaza 1 Fort Clinch 1,436 Fort George Island 659 Fort Mose 41 Gamble Rogers 134 George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier 2 Haw Creek (Flagler and Putnam

County portion) 1,335 Little Talbot Island 1,916 Mike Roess Gold Head Branch 2,365 Olustee Battlefield 691 Pumpkin Hill Creek 3,967 Ravine 146 

### Federal Areas

National Estuarine Research Reserves* Acres Guana Tolomato Matanzas 55,000 National Forests Ocala (Putnam County portion)** 23,622 Osceola (Baker County portion)** 120,055 National Parks Castillo San Marcos National

Monument 25 Fort Caroline National Monument 125 Fort Matanzas National

Monument 299 Timucuan Ecological and Historic

Preserve 46,000 National Wildlife Refuges Okefenokee (Florida portion) 4,024 

### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Fort Clinch 9,000 Guana River 51,500 Nassau River-St. Johns River

Marshes 55,000 Pellicer Creek 605 Florida Scenic Highways Miles A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal

Byway 72 Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway

(Putnam County segment) 14 William Bartram Scenic &

Historic Trail 17 Greenways and Trails Acres Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail 172 Marjorie Harris Carr Cross

Florida Greenway (Putnam County portion) 18,000 West Jacksonville Greenway

Connector 95

* National Estuarine Research Reserves are designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and

managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas

.
**Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area.4—36 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

County Municipal

Areas Acres Areas Acres Baker 12 1,672 3 12 Clay 42 1,525 9 51 Duval/City of Jacksonville 515 33,726 Flagler 62 2,192 27 193 Nassau 39 236 19 598
Putnam 24 135 51 391 St. Johns 76 1,650 16 99 

### Reported County and Municipal Areas Table 4.4.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Northeast Florida Region 2007 (continued)

**Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area. St. Johns River WMD (continued) Acres

Murphy Creek 1,842 Pellicer Creek 3,865 Rice Creek 4,202 Stokes Landing 274 Twelve Mile Swamp 378 Wildlife Management Areas, Wildlife & Environmental Areas and Mitigation Parks Branan Field Mitigation Park 386 Camp Blanding** 56,000 Caravelle Ranch (Putnam County 13,373

portion) Nassau** 13,892 Relay** 19,672 Twelve Mile Swamp** 19,696 Guana River** 9,815 State Parks (continued) Acres Washington Oaks 426 Yellow Bluff Fort 2 University of Florida Ordway-Swisher Preserve 9,100 Water Management District Lands

St. Johns River WMD

Bayard** 10,320 Black Creek Ravines 965 Crescent Lake (Flagler County 4,529

portion) Deep Creek North 4,483 Dunns Creek** 3,182 Graham Swamp 3,084 Julington-Durbin Creek 2,006 Moses Creek 2,0424—37 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Although the region has some 106 miles of coastline, it has only 4.2 miles of sandy beach fronting on the Gulf of Mexico, of which less than one-half mile is available for public recreation. What the region lacks innaturally occurring saltwater beach resources is made up for by its extremely diverse coastal and aquatic areas, which areamong the most remote and pristine in Florida. These resources and others in the region provide excellent opportunities for many outdoor recreation activities including camping, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, birdwatching, fishing, boating, diving and swimming. 

## Withlacoochee Region

The Withlacoochee Region in west central Florida encompasses 5,017 square miles. Itis comprised of five counties and 21 incorporated municipalities. The coastal areas ofCitrus, Hernando and Levy counties are predominantly lowlands consisting of intermittent swamps, saltwater marshes and islandsalong the Gulf of Mexico. The inland portions of these counties and the landlockedcounties of Marion and Sumter feature gently rolling hills covered with woodlands, agricultural areas, freshwater lakes, rivers and springs.

Figure 4.5.1 Public Conservation Lands4—38 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Nature-based tourism is a major component of the region’s economy and relies heavilyon its resource-based public outdoor recreation lands. Major recreation resources in the region consist of state parks and forests, a portion of the Ocala National Forest and thewildlife-rich coastal areas. Visitors can easily access the region through Interstate 75 and major federal and state highways. 

## Economy

Rapid population growth is the primary factor in the region’s economy. In-migration has not only changed the character of the region, but has also altered its economic base. Many traditional natural resource-based jobs in agriculture, fishing, forestry and mining have been displaced over several decades,and today the economy is dominated by services and retail trade. Marion County, known as “the horse capital of the world”, has more horses than any other county in the United States, with 45 to 50 different breeds represented in the area. Nearly 29,000 residents are employed in thecounty’s thoroughbred and equestrian industry. In addition, the development of large retirement communities has brought new growth to the area, but at a cost of placingincreasingly greater demands on local governments for public services of all types.

Private Hunting Land, Levy County Cross Florida Greenway Land Bridge, Marion County4—39 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

the region’s population, while the statewidepercentage of this age category is 17 percent. Population density ranges from 36 people per square mile in rural Levy County to 339 people per square mile in Hernando County. Table 4.5.1 displays current and projected population for the region through the year 2020. 

## Demographics

In 2007, population in the five-county region reached 757,000, or four percent of Florida’s population. Projections estimate 979,000 residents by 2020, a 64 percent increase from the 2000 census. Persons aged 65 and older make up more than 25 percent of

Ocala National Fore st, Marion County Table 4.5.1 Current and Projected Population Withlacoochee Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Citrus 118,085 140,024 145,000 158,200 170,300 44.2 Hernando 130,802 162,193 169,100 187,800 205,100 56.8 Levy 34,450 40,045 41,400 45,200 48,600 41.1 Marion 258,916 325,023 340,500 381,400 419,300 61.9 Sumter 53,345 89,771 97,400 117,400 136,100 155.1 Region Totals 595,598 757,056 793,400 890,000 979,400 64.4

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 20084—40 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

State
70.1%

County

0.9% Municipal
0.2% Non-Government
1.7% Federal

27.0%



### that comprise the Withlacoochee State Forest. They also include Marion County’s portion of the Ocala National Forest, the Cedar Keys, Chassahowitzka, Crystal River and Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuges and many state parks, preserves, wildlife management areas and aquatic preserves. The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross FloridaGreenway, another of the region’s major outdoor recreation resources, connects OcalaNational Forest to the Gulf of Mexico. Significant historic resources exist at Dade Battlefield and Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins HistoricState Parks and at many state and local museums.

Over one million acres of land and water areavailable for outdoor recreation in the Withlacoochee Region. As shown in Figure4.5.2, 98 percent of the region’s outdoor recreation acreage is supplied by public agencies. Federally-provided outdoor recreation sites make up 27 percent of the region’s total supply of outdoor recreation land and water. Nearly 300,000 acres of hunting land are provided within the region’s national forests and wildlife refuges. Federal agencies are 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

The freshwater resources of the Withlacoochee Region include more than 800 lakes and rivers of various sizes. Lakes in the region may be small enough to swim across or large enough to support power boats, water skiing and sailing. The Tsala Apopka chain of lakes near Inverness linksseveral large lakes and marshes into a continuous body of water more than 20 miles in length. Nine first magnitude springs arefound in the region. Eight of these are contained in federal or state outdoor recreation areas. Silver Springs, in Ocala, is among the largest and most famous in the United States. The region lacks the saltwater beach resources of other regions in Florida,with less than one-half mile of beach in public and private outdoor recreation areas. Nevertheless, the numerous islands and miles of coastal shoreline offer a full range of other saltwater recreation opportunities.

Large-scale outdoor recreation resources in the region include most of the seven tracts Figure 4.5.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Withlacoochee Region4—41 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

vide virtually all the opportunities for useroriented types of recreation. Local governments provide a combined total of 330 recreation sites containing more than 13,500acres. These provide 289 public baseball/softball fields, 454 basketball goals, 97 football fields and 145 tennis courts. Local agencies are the region’s largest provider of jogging trails and freshwater and saltwater shoreline fishing facilities.

The private sector provides only 1.7 percent of the total recreation acreage of the region, but nearly one-third of all recreation areas. In addition, commercial businesses providethe majority of the region’s camping, picnicking, freshwater boating, fishing and golf courses. A total of 645 cabins, 12,221 campsites, 60 freshwater boat ramps and 1,267 freshwater marina slips are provided by private commercial operations. also major providers of canoe trails,RV/trailer camping and shoreline fishing facilities.

As shown in Figure 4.5.2, state agencies are the largest provider of outdoor recreation acreage, supplying 70 percent of the total acreage in the region. State agencies are the largest public provider of tent camping, RV/trailer camping, hunting and recreational trails. Residents and visitors can access374 miles of hiking trails, 259 miles of unpaved bicycle trails, 170 miles of equestrian trails and 30 miles of OHV trails on lands managed by state agencies.

The Withlacoochee Region’s county and municipal governments play an important role in providing recreation opportunities. Asin other regions, the local governments proChassahowitzka River Campground and Recreation Area, Citrus County4—42 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 6 68 214 116 187 591 LAND Acres 315,619 519,499 9,561 2,589 20,922 868,190 WATER Acres 15,150 341,675 1,383 57 193 358,458 ACRES TOTAL Acres 330,769 861,179 10,944 2,646 21,140 1,226,678

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 2 23 4 0 645 674 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 85 403 221 0 2,614 3,323 RV CAM PSITES Sites 400 514 113 0 9,607 10,634
HISTORIC SITES Sites 3 57 6 18 7 91
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 0 3 7 0 1 11
M USEUM S M useums 0 17 4 0 6 27 PICNIC TABLES Tables 77 555 887 419 5,315 7,253 HUNTING AREAS Acres 274,629 287,355 3,400 0 0 565,384

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 60.9 19.3 4.1 15.0 99.3
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 1.9 259.0 35.6 16.6 1.0 314.1
CANOE TRAIL M iles 54.0 210.0 31.5 0.0 18.0 313.5
HIKING TRAIL M iles 62.4 373.9 67.7 13.4 47.0 564.4
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 102.0 169.8 17.3 15.0 4.0 308.1
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 0.0 14.7 50.7 15.3 0.5 81.2
OHV TRAIL M iles 157.0 30.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 187.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 1.4 172.8 47.6 15.5 22.0 259.3

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.8 1.6 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 17 20 48 6 60 151
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 18 22 58 7 63 168
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 4 19 5 46 75 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 300 867 1,309 1,050 5,355 8,881
FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 0 5 5
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 1 0 0 0 45 46 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 12 19 0 0 1,267 1,298
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 2 3 15 4 10 34 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 200 1,150 712 818 1,575 4,455
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.4 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 1 0 15 2 2 20
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 1 0 19 2 2 24
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 0 4 0 4 8 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 0 1,020 0 0 1,020 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 1,830 0 0 1,830
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 1 1 4 6 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 0 6 39 2 76 123
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 2 0 5 0 2 9 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 800 0 1,115 0 120 2,035

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 0 5 169 120 13 307
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 0 3 367 87 25 482
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 0 7 130 54 38 229
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 0 0 76 21 4 101 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 2 46 48 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 2 9 11 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 0 4 4
GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 0 0 54 648 702
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 0 28 14 7 49
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 2 80 20 14 116
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 0 2 5 3 77 87
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 0 8 48 32 10 98
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 3 37 49 145 234
TENNIS COURTS Courts 0 15 78 67 64 224
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 3 24 7 8 42 Table 4.5.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Withlacoochee Region 20074—43 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.5.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Withlacoochee Region 2007

* Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area. 

### Federal Areas

National Forests Acres Ocala (Marion

National Wildlife Refuges Cedar Keys 891 Chasshowitzka* 31,000 Crystal River 80 Lower Suwannee River (Levy

County portion)* 23,353 

### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves

Oklawaha River 4,600 Rainbow Springs 125 St. Martins Marsh 23,000 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway

(Marion County segment) 44 Suncoast Scenic Parkway

Greenways and Trails Acres Marjorie Harris Carr Cross 40,178

Florida Greenway (Marion County segment)*

General James A. Van Fleet Trail

(Sumter County segment) 4 Nature Coast Trail (Levy County

segment) 9 Withlacoochee Trail (Citrus and 44

State Forests Acres Goethe * 51,851

Ross Prairie * 3,527 Withlacoochee * 97,333 State Parks Cedar Key Museum 13 Big Bend Seagrasses 300,000

Cedar Key Scrub* 5, 022 Crystal River Archaeological Site 62 Crystal River 25,355 Dade Battlefield 81

County portion)* 275,600

(Hernando County segment) 21

Miles

Hernando County segment)

Indian Lake 4,461 State Parks (continued) Acres Fanning Springs 198 Fort Cooper 738 Homosassa Springs 200 Manatee Springs 2,443 Rainbow Springs 1,472 Silver River 4,230 Waccasassa Bay 34,099 Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins 5 Water Management District Lands

St. Johns River WMD

Ocklawaha Prairie 6,077 Orange Creek * 3,512 Sunnyhill 4,405 Southwest Florida WMD

Annutteliga Hammock 2,200 Chassahowitzka River and 5,676

Coastal Swamp Flying Eagle* 10,950 Green Swamp-East Tract* 27,488

(Sumter County portion) Halpata Tastanaki 8,146 Lake Panasoffkee* 9,911 Panasoffkee Outlet 1,118 Potts* 8,500 Weekiwachee 11,206
Suwannee River WMD

Devil's Hammock* 7,636 Wildlife Management Areas, Wildlife & Environmental Areas and Mitigation Parks Andrews * 3,800 Caravelle Ranch (Marion County portion)* 13,422 Chassahowitzka* 33,919 Chinsegut 828 Half Moon* 9,480 Fort McCoy* 8,688 Gulf Hammock* 24,625 Perry Oldenburg 3684—44 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.5.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Withlacoochee Region 2007 (continued)


### Reported County and Municipal Areas
County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres Citrus 66 1,558 23 303 Hernando 40 1,727 1 88 Levy 17 3,679 26 914 Marion 72 2,583 50 1,130 Sumter 19 1,393 16 210

Silver Springs, Marion County4—45 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

northern border of Indian River County. Barrier islands and coastal lowlands define the coastal portions of the region, offering miles of sandy beach access on the Atlantic and thousands of acres of marshlands and openwater in the region’s tidal lagoons. Separating the mainland of Brevard County from the barrier islands, the Indian River Lagoon is 

## East Central Florida Region

The East Central Florida Region contains six counties and 67 municipalities spanning more than 7,000 square miles. The coastal counties of Volusia and Brevard extend 120 miles along the Atlantic Ocean from the southern border of Flagler County to the

Figure 4.6.1 Public Conservation Lands4—46 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

The tourism infrastructure in the East Central region is the major source of employment and earnings. The region is bestknown for the major attractions that are centered around the Orlando-Kissimmee-St. Cloud area. It is also home to Florida’sSpace Coast and the city that is synonymous with space exploration and technology, Cape Canaveral. Daytona Beach, world famous for its wide beach, is also a center for automobile and motorcycle racing.

The East Central region contains more than 2,000 square miles of public conservationland. These areas play an increasingly important role in the region’s tourism-based economy and quality of life. This network ofland protects watersheds and maritime areas, sustains native plants and animal species, and connects wildlife corridors. It not only expands outdoor recreational activitiesfor the region’s population, but also stimulates nature and heritage based tourism. the most biologically diverse estuary in NorthAmerica. The inland counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole contain forests and prairies, lakes, streams and rivers where one can view ancient cypress and oaks, abundant native wildlife and NativeAmerican mounds, among many other diverse resources. The headwaters of the St. Johns, Tomoka, Kissimmee, Wekiva andPalatlakaha Rivers offer abundant freshwater outdoor recreation opportunities.



## Economy

The economic base of the East Central region is a mix of tourism, agriculture, technology and services. Theme parks and sunshine have made the greater Orlando area famous as a world-class travel destination. The Orlando International Airport, a major global hub, handles millions of passengerseach year who visit the region’s naturebased recreation features, man-made attractions and cruise ships. Lake Louisa State Park, Lake County4—47 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008



## Demographics

In 2007, the East Central region’s populationof 3.1 million comprised 17 percent of Florida’s total population. Estimates predict 1.4 million new residents by 2020, a 54 percentincrease from 2000 census figures. Population densities range from a low of 201 persons per square mile in Osceola County to a high of 1,381 persons per square mile in Seminole County. Table 4.6.1 displays population and projected growth for the sixcounties from the 2000 census and estimates through 2020. Agriculture remains an important factor in the economy of the region. Cattle and sodfarms still predominate much of the landscapes of interior counties. Ornamental nurseries are a major activity as well. Until the devastating freezes of the late 1980s, therolling hills of the region were covered in citrus groves. Today, most of the citrus acreage has been replanted for silviculture or is in the process of residential and commercial development. Table 4.6.1 Current and Projected Population East Central Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Brevard 476,230 552,109 568,500 612,700 653,300 37.2 Lake 210,527 286,499 303,500 347,900 389,500 85.0 Orange 896,344 1,105,603 1,154,200 1,282,200 1,401,200 56.3 Osceola 172,493 266,123 287,500 343,200 395,500 129.3 Seminole 365,199 425,698 439,200 475,400 508,700 39.3 Volusia 443,343 508,014 522,500 561,000 596,500 34.5 Region Totals 2,564,136 3,144,046 3,275,400 3,622,400 3,944,700 53.8

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2008

Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area, Osceola County4—48 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

State
58.8%

County

4.5% Municipal
2.0% Non-Government
4.1% Federal

30.6% Figure 4.6.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider East Central Florida Region



### in providing outdoor recreation acreage in the region, second only to the Southwest Florida Region in terms of total acreage provided.

The federal government provides more than 360,000 acres of land and water distributed among 12 major outdoor recreation areas. Of the federal lands, 33 percent is available for public hunting. Merritt Island National WildlifeRefuge, the largest managed area in the region, provides more than 138,000 acres of land and water. The federal category is also the largest single provider of saltwater beaches in the region, supplying more than 30 miles.

State agencies together provide the largest percentage of outdoor recreation lands in the region, accounting for over 58 percent of all outdoor recreation acreage and close to 700,000 total acres. The state supplies miles of unpaved bicycle, equestrian, hiking and canoe trails. State agencies also provide nearly 85 percent of the total hunting lands in the region. 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

East Central Florida’s topography, water resources and vegetation provide a diverse contrast in outdoor recreation resources. The region’s principal rivers - the St. Johns and Kissimmee - and their major and minortributaries provide an abundance of riverrelated recreation opportunities. The region’s more than 100 miles of Atlantic beaches and vast coastal lagoon systemsprovide extensive saltwater recreational opportunities. The region’s large tracts of wet and dry prairie and the scrub communities ofthe Lake Wales Ridge provide many excellent areas for wildlife-related outdoor recreation.

Nearly 1.2 million acres of public and privateconservation and recreation lands are available for outdoor recreation in the region. Public agencies provide 96 percent of theoutdoor recreation acreage, with state agencies providing the largest share. The private sector also plays an extremely important role4—49 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.6.2 displays East Central Florida’s outdoor recreation resources by category of provider. Table 4.6.3 lists the major outdoor recreation areas provided or managed by national, state and municipal agencies. East Central Florida’s county and municipal governments provide nearly 1,500 parks and recreation sites and six percent of the total outdoor recreation acreage in the region. Cities and counties ar e the largest providers of facilities for freshwater and saltwater shoreline fishing and recreational boating access. They also provide the majority of recreational trails for nature study, bicycling, jogging and horseback riding.

The private sector provides four percent of the region’s total outdoor recreation lands. Private suppliers provide the most tent andRV/trailer campsites. As seen in other regions of the state, the private sector also provides the vast majority of freshwater and saltwater marinas. Lake Norris, Lake County4—50 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 12 120 601 882 449 2,064 LAND Acres 180,887 599,346 49,794 21,917 45,268 897,212 WATER Acres 182,723 91,915 3,475 2,363 2,981 283,456 ACRES TOTAL Acres 363,609 691,261 53,268 24,281 48,266 1,180,686

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 2 35 0 5 505 547 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 129 685 417 521 2,795 4,547 RV CAM PSITES Sites 145 362 653 32 33,911 35,103
HISTORIC SITES Sites 94 48 38 32 83 295
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 0 0 4 26 12 42
M USEUM S M useums 3 6 20 18 47 94 PICNIC TABLES Tables 182 657 4,210 3,125 17,769 25,943 HUNTING AREAS Acres 60,668 363,763 5,000 0 0 429,431

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 53.7 109.0 76.8 0.0 239.5
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 40.0 249.7 126.2 32.6 13.7 462.2
CANOE TRAIL M iles 15.5 101.0 46.0 0.2 81.0 243.7
HIKING TRAIL M iles 60.2 495.8 290.5 42.2 35.4 924.1
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 12.2 249.7 201.6 20.4 45.7 529.6
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 0.0 64.2 129.2 96.3 23.9 313.6
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 16.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 16.1
NATURE TRAIL M iles 25.7 51.0 197.6 68.6 64.4 407.3

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.2 0.1 4.9 1.9 2.5 9.5 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 7 34 84 70 96 291
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 10 27 114 88 106 345
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 4 43 62 48 157 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 460 26,760 16,667 6,508 50,395 FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 50 900 8,926 1,051 10,927
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 1 3 112 116 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 62 6 214 3,452 3,734
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 1 7 36 62 22 128 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 50 352 3,197 7,714 5,788 17,101
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 30.6 4.0 14.8 3.3 0.4 53.1 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 12 5 27 41 31 116
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 16 6 45 47 42 156
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 32 2 17 42 6 99 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 7,277 88 19,962 8,604 1,250 37,181 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 500 0 0 650 1,150
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 3 0 1 2 54 60 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 373 29 92 592 3,033 4,119
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 3 5 27 24 6 65 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 284 876 4,325 3,928 2,560 11,973

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 9 12 328 429 42 820 BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 24 6 666 536 136 1,368
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 16 9 308 419 103 855
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 6 9 144 125 25 309 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 1 1 2 10 100 114 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 1 14 15 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 1 0 16 17 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 18 18 54 189 1,827 2,106
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 4 28 86 35 153
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 2 3 151 95 45 296
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 3 7 14 49 246 319
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 8 33 90 140 43 314
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 3 26 59 478 427 993 TENNIS COURTS Courts 8 54 265 475 493 1,295
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 11 57 51 10 129 Table 4.6.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider East Central Florida Region 20074—51 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area. 

### Federal Areas

National Forests Acres Ocala (Lake County portion)* 84,361 National Parks Canaveral National Seashore 57,627 National Wildlife Refuges Archie Carr (Brevard County

portion) 230 Lake Woodruff* 21,800 Merritt Island* 138,263 St. Johns 6,255 National Wild and Scenic Rivers Miles Wekiva River 41.6



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Acres Banana River 29,899 Indian River Lagoon 27,966 Mosquito Lagoon 36,000 Tomoka Marsh 8,000 Wekiva River 19,000 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway

(Lake and Volusia segments) 58 Green Mountain Scenic Byway 20 Indian River Lagoon Scenic 166

Highway Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail 34 Greenways and Trails

General James A. Van Fleet Trail (Lake County segment) 14 State Forests Acres Holopaw 58 Lake George* 21,176 Little Big Econ* 10,236 Seminole* 27,064 Tiger Bay* 27,396
State Parks Addison Blockhouse 6 Blue Spring 2,644 Bulow Creek (Volusia portion) 4,715 State Parks (continued) Acres De Leon Springs 606 Haw Creek (Volusia portion) 1,727 Hontoon Island 1,648 Indian River Lagoon 502 Kissimmee Prairie (Osceola

County portion) 520 Lake Griffin 559 Lake Kissimmee 5,934 Lake Louisa 4,408 Lower Wekiva River 17,405 North Peninsula 564 Rock Springs Run* 13,717 Sebastian Inlet (Brevard County 541

portion) St. Sebastian River (Brevard

County portion) 10,465 Tomoka 1,497 Wekiwa Springs 7,737

Water Management Districts Lands

St. Johns WMD

Buck Lake* 9,638 Bull Creek* 23,470 Canaveral Marshes 6,741 Clark Bay* 4,793 Emeralda Marsh* 7,089 Heart Island* 12,082 Lake Apopka Restoration Area 19,825 Lake George* 11,973 Lake Jesup 5,257 Lake Norris 2,352 Pine Island 850 River Lakes* 36,156 Seminole Ranch* 29,145 Three Forks Marsh* 53,112 Wekiva River Buffer 2,570 Wiregrass Prairie 1,401 Table 4.6.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas East Central Florida Region 20074—52 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres Brevard 247 12,014 184 1,619 Lake 45 713 103 1,055 Orange 92 16,211 246 5,926 Osceola 64 2,129 28 336 Seminole 37 6,131 84 1,048 Volusia 116 16,068 237 14,342 

### Reported County and Municipal Areas Table 4.6.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas East Central Florida Region 2007 (continued)

University of Central Florida, Orange County South Florida WMD

Lower Reedy Creek (Osceola 5,039

Shingle Creek 1,650 Upper Reedy Creek 4,070 Southwest Florida WMD Acres

Green Swamp-Little

Withlacoochee Tract* 37,545

County portion)* Wildlife Management Areas, Wildlife & Environmental Areas and Mitigation Parks Acres Hilochee (Lake County portion)* 6,246 Prairie Lakes Unit - Three Lakes* 8,859 Salt Lake* 7,800 Split Oak 1,689 Three Lakes* 52,976

Tosohatchee* 30,701 Triple N Ranch* 15,391

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area.4—53 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008


## Central Florida Region

The Central Florida Region is the only one of the 11 planning regions with no coastalborder and its outdoor recreation profile reflects this key distinction. The region encompasses 5,286 square miles and contains five counties and 25 municipalities.

The physiographic spine of the region is the Lake Wales Ridge , which contains primeexamples of many highly imperiled ecosystems, imperiled plant and animal species, and numerous large freshwater lakes. The Green Swamp in the northwestern part of the region forms the headwaters of five river systems and is the primary recharge area for the Floridan Aquifer in central Florida. The Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee arethe region’s other principal hydrological features, both of which play an important role in providing outdoor recreation opportunities.

Figure 4.7.1 Public Conservation Lands4—54 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

location in the heart of the Interstate 4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando makes itan attractive location for many transportation-related industries. Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands and Okeechobee counties have been designated as “Rural Areas of Critical Economic Concern” to encourage economic development in the area. 

## Economy

The Central region remains largely rural in character. Agriculture, cattle production and phosphate mining represent the backbone ofthe regional economy. Most of the phosphate mining in the United States is conducted in the region. Polk County is the exception to the rural pattern of the region. Its Highlands Hammock State Park, Highlands County4—55 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

2000. Population density ranges from 43 persons per square mile in Hardee County to 310 persons per square mile in the more urbanized Polk County. Table 4.7.1 displays the population for the five-county area and projections through 2020. 

## Demographics

The region contained 4.2 percent of Florida’s total population in 2007. Projections are for275,000 new residents to migrate to the region by 2020, a 41 percent increase from

Fort Fraser Trail, Polk County Table 4.7.1 Current and Projected Population Central Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change

2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 DeSoto 32,209 33,983 34,700 37,500 39,200 21.7 Hardee 26,938 27,520 27,700 28,300 28,700 6.5 Highlands 87,366 98,727 101,600 109,400 116,500 33.3 Okeechobee 35,910 39,030 39,700 41,500 43,100 20.0 Polk 483,924 581,058 602,500 660,500 713,900 47.5 Region Totals 666,347 780,318 806,200 877,200 941,400 41.3

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 20084—56 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Federal

26.6% State
52.6%

Non-Government
9.4% Municipal
0.7% County
10.6%



### Peace and Kissimmee Rivers and Lakes Okeechobee, Arbuckle and Istokpoga.These waters support an outstanding freshwater fishery that attracts fishermen and other sportsmen from across the United States. The Peace River winds 67 miles 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

Central Florida’s landscapes provide a rich diversity of natural resources that support an abundance of high quality outdoor recreation opportunities. Particularly important are the region’s rivers and lakes - including the Figure 4.7.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Central Florida Region

Peace River, Hardee County4—57 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Private Fish Camp, Polk County



### Private sector providers (commercial, club and non-profit organizations) supply nearly 39,000 acres of outdoor recreation land and water in the region. In this regard, they play a more significant role in providing outdoor recreation here than in any other region of the state. In addition, this category provides 119 of the 139 outdoor swimming pools, 981 of the 1,053 golf courses and 1,054 of the 1,082 freshwater marina slips in the region.

Table 4.7.2 shows Central Florida’s outdoorrecreation resources by category of provider. Table 4.7.3 identifies the major outdoor recreation opportunities provided or managed by national, state and municipal entities. through Polk, Hardee and DeSoto counties providing excellent canoeing and kayaking.Public and private parks and recreation areas surrounding these waters provide opportunities for boating, camping, fishing and many other activities. More than 391,000 acres of outdoor recreation land and water are made available by the region’s public and private providers.

Two federal properties offer limited public access in the region. Avon Park Air ForceRange, managed by the U.S. Air Force, contains a portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail and conducts limited public hunting ona periodic basis. The Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge is managed cooperatively by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceand non-profit organizations as the first refuge designated for the recovery of endangered and threatened plants.

Just more than half of the total outdoor recreation acreage in the region is provided bystate agencies. Eight state parks offer diverse resource-based activities for visitors.Public hunting is provided at eight state wildlife management areas and cooperatively managed sites. State level suppliers providenearly 200 miles of single-purpose recreation trails for horseback riding, hiking, canoeing, bicycling, jogging and nature study.

Counties and municipalities provide a greater share of outdoor recreation acreage in the Central region than those anywhereelse in the state. Local governments manage 503 recreation sites on over 46,000acres. Together, they are the largest provider of resource-based facilities for historicsite interpretation, jogging, paved-trail bicycling, freshwater shoreline fishing and freshwater boat ramps.4—58 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 3 73 221 282 225 804 LAND Acres 107,967 208,992 14,619 2,866 31,414 365,858 WATER Acres 0 4,917 28,526 38 6,868 40,349 ACRES TOTAL Acres 107,967 213,909 43,145 2,904 38,372 406,298

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 0 0 0 306 306 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 25 287 46 10 642 1,009 RV CAM PSITES Sites 0 251 371 0 24,812 25,434
HISTORIC SITES Sites 0 1 9 6 8 24
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 0 0 0 4 1 5
M USEUM S M useums 0 2 5 3 9 19 PICNIC TABLES Tables 55 210 392 966 8,342 9,965 HUNTING AREAS Acres 78,000 50,767 0 0 0 128,767

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 11.7 7.6 21.4 16.3 57.0
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 0.0 154.7 7.5 4.2 10.5 176.9
CANOE TRAIL M iles 0.0 15.0 10.0 0.5 27.3 52.8
HIKING TRAIL M iles 65.7 295.0 31.1 10.5 26.5 428.8
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 16.0 176.7 24.7 0.0 0.1 217.5
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 7.7 15.8 2.7 22.9 8.8 57.9
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 8.2 121.4 27.2 15.9 22.4 195.1

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.7 2.7 3.7 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 1 19 100 50 79 249
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 1 24 116 56 86 283
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 2 9 11 36 59 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 100 90 4,504 3,095 2,585 10,374 FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 25,750 0 25,750
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 0 0 147 147 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 18 10 0 1,054 1,082
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 2 1 16 23 21 63 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 10 45 2,015 2,808 1,678 6,556
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 0 0 0 0 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 0 0 0 0 0 0
SALTWATER PIERS Feet 0 0 0 0 0 0

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 0 1 180 186 12 379
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 0 0 214 190 47 451
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 0 3 74 130 35 242
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 0 0 39 34 3 76 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 2 40 42 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 4 21 25 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 0 21 21 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 0 0 72 981 1,053
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 0 10 32 23 65
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 1 25 36 16 78
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 0 1 4 15 119 139
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 0 3 19 51 14 87
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 2 9 234 411 656
TENNIS COURTS Courts 0 8 53 134 184 379
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 0 3 17 6 26 Table 4.7.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Central Florida Region 20074—59 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

South Florida WMD (continued) Acres Gardner-Cobb Marsh & Drasdo* 1,714 Kicco and Blanket Bay Slough* 12,164 Lake Hatchineha/Catfish Creek* 958 Lake Marion Creek * 8,083 Micco Landing* 1,550 Oak Creek, No Name &

Starvation Slough* 4,106 S-65E Impoundment & Paradise

Run* 2,358 Seaboard, Yates & Telex Marsh 2,105 Sumica* 4,109 Turkey Hammock & Cornwell 4,659

Marshes Southwest Florida WMD

Alafia River Reserve 334 Deep Creek 2,000 Green Swamp-East Tract* 23,961

(Polk County portion) Jack Creek 1,286 RV Griffin Reserve 6,000 Wildlife Management Areas, Wildlife & Environmental Areas, Fish Management Areas and Mitigation Parks Hilochee* 3,123

Osprey Unit - Hilochee* 6,093 Platt Branch 1,973 Tenoroc 1,972 Lake Wales Ridge* 14,482

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area.

County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres DeSoto 19 481 15 163 Hardee 7 1,446 17 50 Highlands 52 29,262 41 168 Okeechobee 25 460 2 8 Polk 118 11,496 207 2,525 

### Reported County and Municipal Areas Federal Areas

Military Installations Acres Avon Park Air Force Range 106,000 National Wildlife Refuges Lake Wales Ridge 1,857



### State Areas

Florida Scenic Highways Miles The Ridge Scenic Highway 35 Greenways and Trails General James A. Van Fleet Trail 12

(Polk County segment) Lake Okeechobee Trail 20

(Okeechobee County segment) State Forests Acres Lake Wales Ridge* 26,563 State Parks Allen David Broussard Catfish 8,087

Creek Colt Creek 5,062 Highlands Hammock 9,251 Kissimmee Prairie (Okeechobee 53,766

County portion) Lake June-in-Winter Scrub 846 Lake Kissimmee 5,934 Okeechobee Battlefield 145 Paynes Creek 410 Water Management District Lands

South Florida WMD

Boney Marsh, Bluff Hammock & 9,060

Hickory Hammock * Table 4.7.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Central Florida Region 20074—60 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Figure 4.8.1 Public Conservation Lands 

## Tampa Bay Region

The Tampa Bay Region encompasses3,467 square miles and includes Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Hillsborough counties. The region is favored with nearly 700 miles of saltwater shoreline and all four counties in the region have frontage on the Gulf of Mexico orTampa Bay. Both Manatee and Pinellas are buffered by barrier islands that offer miles of sandy beaches. The coastal areas of the region are heavily populated and highly urbanized, in contrast to the sparsely populated rural lands east of the metropolitan areas. The region’s diverse water resources(both freshwater and saltwater) together with its miles of sandy Gulf beaches and thousands of acres ofpublic lands, offer many excellent outdoor recreation opportunities.



## Economy

Anchored by Tampa International Airport, with extensive domestic and international scheduled flights, and three deep-water ports, business and industry play a major role in the region. The metropolitan area of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater dominates as the region’s economic center. Trade,services and construction are the major industries in the area. The coastalarea continues to be a magnet drawing retirees, seasonal residents and tourists to the many miles of sandy beaches, boating access facilities and the relaxed lifestyle that this area has typified for generations. 

## Demographics

In 2007, the Tampa Bay Region’s population of 2.8 million people made up 15.5 percent of Florida’s population. Estimates project that an additional 846,000 residents will move to the region by 2020, a 34 percent increase from4—61 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008



## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

The beaches and coastal wetlands of the Tampa Bay Region make it one of the state’s best areas to enjoy saltwater-related outdoor recreation. The region’s Gulf barrierislands, which include Honeymoon, Ca2000. Population density ranges from a low of 426 persons per square mile in Manatee County to a high of 3,370 persons per square mile in Pinellas County, the highest population density in the state. Table 4.8.1 displays current and projected population for the area from 2000 through 2020. Table 4.8.1 Current and Projected Population Tampa Bay Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Hillsborough 998,948 1,192,861 1,234,900 1,346,600 1,449,900 45.1 Manatee 264,002 315,890 327,500 358,400 387,000 46.6 Pasco 344,768 434,425 454,200 507,400 556,600 61.4 Pinellas 921,495 944,199 950,300 966,900 982,200 6.6 Region Totals 2,529,213 2,887,375 2,966,900 3,179,300 3,375,700 33.5

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2008

Alafia River State Park, Hillsborough County4—62 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

than one percent of the region’s total. Halfof the federal areas are comprised of national wildlife refuges. Although public access is restricted in some areas, public useopportunities include beach use and wildlifedependent public uses such as wildlife observation, bird watching, fishing and photography.

State government agencies administer morethan 156,000 acres and 85 sites in the region. One-third of the state-administeredlands are within 17 state parks. Stateadministered areas provide 11 miles of saltwater beach, over 43,000 acres of hunting lands and 144 miles of hiking trails. State agencies provide more than 50 percent of the outdoor recreation lands in the Tampa Bay Region.

County and municipal governments play a large role in providing both resource-based and user-oriented recreation opportunities.Together, they provide programs and activities on over 146,000 acres of land and water ladesi, Anna Maria, Anclote Key, Longboat Key and Mullet Key, possess some of thebest sandy beaches in the country. The region’s freshwater resources are significant as well. Rivers, including the Hillsborough, Manatee, Little Manatee, Myakka, Anclote, and Pithlachascotee, provide abundant boating, fishing, hunting and canoeing.

Nearly 326,000 acres of public and privateoutdoor recreation land and water are located in the Tampa Bay Region. Similar toother regions, over 90 percent of the acreage is managed by federal, state and localgovernments. Although private entities provide only six percent of the total acreage in the region, they provide a majority of the camping and boating-related facilities.

The federal government plays a relatively smaller role in providing outdoor recreation land in this region than in any other region in the state. The six federal recreation areas contain less than 3,800 acres, or just more Federal

1.1% Non-Government
5.7% Municipal
2.8%

County
39.8%

State
50.6% Figure 4.8.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Tampa Bay Region4—63 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Pinellas Trail, Pinellas County



### in 1,370 outdoor recreation areas. Useroriented activities are major activities for residents and tourists in the region. Local governments provide the majority of public water access facilities, including freshwaterand saltwater boat ramps and shoreline fishing facilities. They also provide 711 of the764 baseball fields, 942 of the 1,043 basketball goals and 238 of the 260 football fields in the region.

The private sector provides more than 19,000 acres for outdoor recreation at 396 sites. Private entities supply the majority of RV/trailer campsites, cabins and freshwater and saltwater marina slips in the region. They also provide 1,800 of the 2,097 golf holes. Figure 4.8.2 displays the distribution of outdoor recreation acreage by category of managing agency for the Tampa Bay Region.Table 4.8.2 shows the region’s outdoor recreation supply by level of provider. Table 4.8.3 shows the major outdoor recreation areas provided or managed by federal, state and local governments.4—64 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 6 86 417 953 396 1,858 LAND Acres 3,767 115,837 134,727 8,858 17,927 258,583 WATER Acres 9 79,812 1,521 887 1,351 49,684 ACRES TOTAL Acres 3,776 195,649 136,315 9,745 19,389 364,873

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 5 10 5 626 646 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 50 312 284 7 538 1,191 RV CAM PSITES Sites 294 295 265 0 28,707 29,561
HISTORIC SITES Sites 0 2 5 9 1 17
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 2 10 69 17 6 104
M USEUM S M useums 2 5 27 7 14 55 PICNIC TABLES Tables 60 636 4,811 3,207 9,487 18,201 HUNTING AREAS Acres 0 43,320 15,000 0 0 58,320

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 4.0 90.3 41.6 0.0 135.9
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 5.0 124.9 163.8 14.0 5.0 312.7
CANOE TRAIL M iles 2.0 55.8 48.8 27.8 26.0 160.4
HIKING TRAIL M iles 1 184.6 158.5 41.7 6.7 392.5
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 0.0 99.0 94.8 2.3 55.4 251.5
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 7.5 3.2 90.7 56.8 4.7 162.9
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 4.9 20.9 126.3 37.5 4.6 194.2

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.0 23.4 24.0 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 0 10 36 10 22 78
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 0 11 53 15 23 102
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 4 18 31 19 72 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 530 9,210 7,707 555 18,002 FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 30,551 0 30,551
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 0 1 10 11 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 0 0 2 198 200
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 0 6 7 46 2 61 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 0 240 1,466 1,328 100 3,134
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 3.3 11.4 9.4 17.9 9.8 51.7 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 1 3 48 57 34 143
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 2 3 99 69 40 213
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 8 45 70 23 147 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 175 13,896 9,335 9,394 2,938 35,738 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 1,000 5 250 56 890 2,201
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 1 1 1 13 89 105 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 35 108 8 1,655 6,019 7,825
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 1 2 12 37 14 66 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 60 11,725 12,525 10,789 4,137 39,236

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 6 10 374 337 37 764 BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 2 22 425 517 77 1,043
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 3 12 258 339 45 657
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 3 5 137 101 14 260 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 2 0 3 8 77 90 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 1 18 19 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 3 23 26 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 36 0 54 207 1,800 2,097
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 4 0 157 101 22 284
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 6 85 83 56 230
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 2 1 9 42 231 285
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 0 13 44 95 51 203 SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 0 19 529 606 1,154 TENNIS COURTS Courts 6 67 226 396 635 1,330
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 4 7 10 2 23 Table 4.8.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Tampa Bay Region 20074—65 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area. Table 4.8.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Tampa Bay Region 2007

State Parks (Continued) Acres Hillsborough River 3,789 Honeymoon Island 2,810 Lake Manatee 549 Little Manatee River 2,416 Madira Bickel Mound 10 Myakka River (Manatee County

portion) 10,132 Skyway Fishing Pier 20 Terra Ceia 1,876 Werner-Boyce Salt Springs 3,999 Ybor City 1 Water Management District Lands

Southwest Florida WMD

Cypress Creek 7,400 Green Swamp - West Tract* 37,350 Edward Chance Reserve - Coker 1,200

Prairie Tract Edward Chance-Gilley 5,800

Creek Tract Little Manatee River - Southfork 970

Tract

Myakka River - Flatford Swamp 2,357 Upper Hillsborough* 9,961

Wildlife & Environmental Areas and Mitigation Parks Bullfrog Creek 833 Little Gator Creek 566 Serenova Tract 6,533 Starke Wilderness Preserve Lower Hillsborough 16,000 

### Federal Areas

National Parks Acres DeSoto National Monument 25 National Wildlife Refuges Egmont Key 272 Passage Key 64
Pinellas 394



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Boca Ciega Bay 22,000 Cockroach Bay 8000 Terra Ceia 26,000 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway 2 Courtney Campbell Causeway 9 Palma Sola Scenic Highway 5 Suncoast Scenic Parkway

Greenways and Trails Withlacoochee State Trail 2 State Forests Acres Withlacoochee (Pasco portion)* 7,043 State Parks Alafia River 6,312 Anclote Key 12,177 Beker 1,739 Caladesi Island 4,528 Cockroach Bay 103 Egmont Key 545 Judah P. Benjamin Confederate

Memorial at Gamble Plantation 33 (Hillsborough and Pasco County portion) 214—66 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Reported County and Municipal Areas County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres Hillsborough 186 58,139 182 21,253 Manatee 83 27,354 105 538 Pasco 41 32,749 46 349 Pinellas 107 18,072 620 6,618 Table 4.8.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Tampa Bay Region 2007 (continued)

Cypress Forest Park , Pinellas County4—67 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008


## Southwest Florida Region

The Southwest Florida Region covers 7,277 square miles and contains six counties lying between Sarasota Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands and Lake Okeechobee. The coastalcounties of Charlotte, Collier, Lee and Sarasota together contain 128 miles of Gulfcoastline that offer miles of sandy beach access. The region’s estuarine areas are among the most biologically productive in the state. The wildlife of these areas provideoutstanding opportunities for nonconsumptive and consumptive recreational activities. The far southern portion of theregion’s coastline remains virtually undeveloped due to the protected status of the extensive federal and state public lands. The region's vast mangrove ecosystems are some of the last remaining examples of the system that once flourished along south Florida’s tidal wetlands. The non-coastalcounties of Glades and Hendry are bordered by Lake Okeechobee on the east. These areas are primarily agricultural and rural, but also contain many large, intact natural areas.

Figure 4.9.1 Public Conservation Lands4—68 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

to Tampa to the north and Miami to the south, while Southwest Florida InternationalAirport offers extensive domestic and international air service. The opening of Florida Gulf Coast University in 1997, the state’s 12th state university, and the expansion of several other colleges and universities into the region have spurred the development of technology firms and research parks that attract new business and create new jobs,especially in information technology and bioscience. Although not as widespread as itonce was, agriculture continues to be an important source of income in the area. Truck crops and citrus grown on the western fringes of the Everglades supply much of the nation’s winter supply of fresh vegetables. Cattle ranching continues to be a major component of the economies of Glades, Charlotte, Lee and Hendry counties.The region is drained by several river systems that originate inland and flow southwest to the Gulf. The Myakka and PeaceRivers discharge into Charlotte Harbor forming a vast estuary of some 2.9 million acres.The Myakka River was designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River in 1985. The Caloosahatchee River, channelized in the 1880s to permit boat traffic directly between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, was pivotal to opening up southwest Florida to development.



## Economy

The Southwest Florida Region relies on a mix of natural resources, history and culture, and a sophisticated hospitality industry to maintain its position as a premier tourismdestination. The high quality of life and efficient transportation network that attracts visitors from all over the world also attracts a well-educated work force. The Interstate 75 transportation corridor provides easy access Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park, Collier County4—69 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008



## Demographics

Total population for the region reached 1.5 million in 2007. Projections estimate that an additional 825,000 people will reside in the region in 2020, a 68 percent increase from 2000. Population densities range from 14 people per square mile in Glades County to 766 people per square mile in Lee County.

As in other parts of Florida, the region’seastern counties are beginning to experience increasing urban development in rural areas. As this trend continues, and as Table 4.9.1 Current and Projected Population Southwest Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change

2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Charlotte 141,627 164,584 169,700 183,300 195,900 38.3 Collier 251,377 333,858 353,900 406,300 455,300 81.1 Glades 10,576 11,055 11,600 12,100 12,600 19.1 Hendry 36,210 39,651 40,800 43,800 46,700 29.0 Lee 440,888 615,741 654,600 756,700 852,000 93.2 Sarasota 325,961 387,461 400,600 436,100 468,800 43.8 Region Totals 1,206,639 1,552,350 1,631,200 1,838,300 2,031,300 68.3

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2008

Myakka Wild and Scenic River, Sarasota County4—70 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

County

4.2% Municipal
0.2% Non-Government
4.6% Federal

46.1% State
45.0%



### uges provide more than 790,000 acres.These federal lands offer most of the region’s public hunting opportunities and all of its inventoried supply of off-highway vehicle trails. They also provide an important share of the region’s available supply of hiking and nature trails.

State agencies administer over 770,000 acres at 60 separate areas, representing 45 percent of the regional total. This figure does not include the 73,236-acre Babcock Ranch property which was acquired under the Florida Foreverprogram in 2007. Thirteen state parks provide a wide range of activities, from saltwater swimming and camping to visiting the early 20th century utopian settlement at Koreshan. Three state forests and five wildlife management areas provide the majority of the state-supplied public hunting in the region. State agencies are the largest providers of canoe, equestrian and hiking trails in the region. They play a major role as well in providing opportunities for shoreline fishing.coastal lands become less available for development, population is expected to shiftmore and more toward these inland counties.



## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

The region’s coastal natural resources andits numerous rivers and lakes provide generous opportunities for outdoor recreation. Much attention by federal, state and local governments has been focused on acquiring and protecting these areas. The region has over 1.7 million acres of land and water available for outdoor recreation use. Asshown in Figure 4.9.2, 95 percent of all outdoor recreation acreage is provided by public agencies.

Federally managed lands account for 46 percent of the available recreation acres in the region. Two major national parks—Big Cypress National Preserve and EvergladesNational Park—and five national wildlife refFigure 4.9.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Southwest Florida Region4—71 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Local park and recreation programs in the Southwest region play a more important rolein providing water and beach access opportunities than in most other regions of the state. Cities and counties are the largest providers of saltwater and freshwaterbeaches, freshwater boat ramps and freshwater and saltwater fishing facilities. They are major providers of recreational trails aswell, providing more paved bicycle trails, jogging trails and nature trails than any othercategory. As in the other regions, local governments are the principal providers of useroriented facilities. Within the private sector, there are 404 outdoor recreation sites encompassing 78,494acres, or four percent of total regional acreage. The commercial sector provides the majority of cabins, RV/trailer campsites and tent campsites. As in many regions, theSouthwest region’s non-government providers are also the largest suppliers of freshwater and saltwater marinas (a combined total of 6,668 slips) and saltwater boat ramps.

Table 4.9.2 shows outdoor recreation resources and facilities by level of provider. Table 4.9.3 lists major outdoor recreationopportunities provided or managed by federal, state and municipal entities.

Imperial River Boat Ramp, Lee County4—72 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 19 60 417 220 404 1,120 LAND Acres 724,705 473,831 69,533 2,508 76,117 1,346,694 WATER Acres 65,312 304,669 2,187 324 1,887 374,378 ACRES TOTAL Acres 790,017 778,500 71,722 2,748 78,498 1,721,486

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 17 0 0 191 208 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 99 407 60 8 662 1,236 RV CAM PSITES Sites 149 377 80 37 24,517 25,160
HISTORIC SITES Sites 12 64 8 10 9 103
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 1 3 3 7 3 17
M USEUM S M useums 10 8 11 8 15 52 PICNIC TABLES Tables 94 562 2,184 791 11,820 15,451 HUNTING AREAS Acres 525,000 246,385 0 0 0 771,385

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 71.0 5.0 49.9 29.7 35.0 190.6
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 9.0 89.3 50.2 11.6 7.5 167.6
CANOE TRAIL M iles 51.0 58.5 30.9 20.0 51.0 211.4
HIKING TRAIL M iles 120.5 236.0 74.8 4.8 73.0 509.1
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 0.0 60.4 29.0 0.0 6.0 95.4
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 9.0 0.0 60.9 5.3 7.9 83.1
OHV TRAIL M iles 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 50.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 85.5 81.9 53.4 6.9 24.2 251.9

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.1 1.3 2.0 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 2 17 40 6 32 97
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 3 22 46 7 28 106
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 4 10 10 178 203 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 120 2,345 1,553 2,933 805 7,756 FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 0 1,340 0 1,340
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 0 1 19 20 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 0 0 20 844 864
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 3 1 21 2 5 32 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 340 86 822 221 30,320 31,789
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 16.8 12.7 25.7 6.7 5.4 67.3 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 1 3 31 8 65 108
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 1 7 48 16 67 139
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 7 50 12 29 98 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 3,180 15,465 6,534 6,842 32,021 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 100 7,600 50 7,750
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 2 5 156 163 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 0 34 34 503 5,824 6,395
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 1 0 28 15 28 72 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 50 0 4,856 4,849 3,450 13,205

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 1 0 231 76 6 314
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 0 4 267 63 39 373
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 0 7 178 72 39 296
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 0 0 72 20 1 93 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 0 2 4 96 102 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 0 1 20 21 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 0 23 23 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 0 36 81 2,250 2,367
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 0 16 6 9 31
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 0 57 13 22 92
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 0 0 26 11 227 264
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 1 0 44 19 21 85
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 3 106 24 443 576
TENNIS COURTS Courts 0 4 264 87 560 915
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 0 44 5 7 56 Table 4.9.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Southwest Florida Region 20074—73 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.9.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Southwest Florida Region 2007



### Federal Areas

National Estuarine Research Reserves* Acres Rookery Bay 110,000 National Parks Big Cypress (Collier County portion)** 575,684 Everglades (Collier County portion) 39, 262 National Wildlife Refuges Caloosahatchee 40 Florida Panther 26,400 J. “Ding” Darling 6,300 Matlacha Pass 512 Pine Island 584 Ten Thousand Islands 31,150



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Cape Haze 11,168 Cape Romano-Ten Thousand

Islands 50,000 Estero Bay 11,300 Gasparilla Sound-Charlotte 149,168

Harbor Lemon Bay 7,667 Matlacha Pass 10,000 Pine Island Sound 50,000 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway 69 Greenways and Trails Lake Okeechobee (Glades and

Hendry County segment) 46 State Forests Acres Myakka** 8,593 Okaloacochee ** 32,039 Picayune Strand** 77,827 State Parks Acres Cayo Costa 2,458 Charlotte Harbor 42,475 Collier-Seminole 7,272 Delnor-Wiggins Pass 166 Don Pedro Island 231 Estero Bay 10,457 Fakahatchee Strand 75,898 Gasparilla Island 127 Koreshan 164 Lovers Key 1,463 Mound Key 172 Myakka River (Sarasota County portion) 27,065 Oscar Scherer 1,382 Stump Pass Beach 255 State Wild and Scenic Rivers Miles Myakka River 34 Water Management District Lands Acres

South Florida WMD

Corkscrew Marsh** 25,089 Nicodemus Slough 2,219 STA 5* 5,120 Southwest Florida WMD

Deer Prairie Creek 10,128 Wildlife Management Areas, Mitigation Parks and Babcok/Webb** 65,770 Dinner Island Ranch** 21,714 Fisheating Creek** 18,272 Spirit of the Wild** 7,000 Hickey Creek 768

* National estuarine research reserves are designated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Pr otection, Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas

. **Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a wildlife management area.4—74 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Table 4.9.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Southwest Florida Region 2007 (continued)


### Reported County and Municipal Areas
Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres
Charlotte 78 4,415 11 102 Collier 54 3,144 46 57 Glades 12 502 1 2 Hendry 13 716 31 342 Lee 136 10,683 70 1,435 Sarasota 161 52,263 61 850 County

Ft. Myers Beach, Lee County4—75 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Figure 4.10.1 Public Conservation Lands 

## Treasure Coast Region

The Treasure Coast Region along the south central Atlantic coast encompasses 4,445 square miles and includes Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. The region’s outstanding barrier island shoreline stretches 111 miles and provides some of the best recreational beaches in Florida. Large lagoons, including IndianRiver Lagoon, support highly productive estuarine systems that offer outstanding recreational opportunities. Inland, large areas of wetlands have been set aside for water management, conservation and recreation by federal and state governments. Lake Okeechobee’s eastern shoreline lies within this region, offering nationally renowned freshwater fishing, boating and hunting.4—76 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

county, it still leads the nation in the production of sugar cane and many winter vegetable crops. Similarly, while citrus production is still viable in western St. Lucie and IndianRiver counties, the groves and other agricultural areas continue to be converted to other

uses.

The region is home to two deep water ports at Fort Pierce and Palm Beach. Palm Beach International Airport is a major gateway for residents and visitors to the region. The vast array of business involved in all aspects of tourism continues to play a major role in the area’s economy. 

## Economy

The region’s economy depends heavily onservices, tourism, agriculture and the development of new communities to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding population. While the western areas of the region are bordered by conservation lands that protect water resources for southern Florida, many of the former agricultural lands are in theprocess of being converted to urban development. Palm Beach County, the largestcounty in terms of land area east of the Mississippi River, is the most economically diverse county in the region. Even as development encroaches upon the Everglades Agricultural Area in western portions of the

Blue Cypress Conservation Area, Indian River County4—77 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

gration of retirees and seasonal residents. Population density ranges from a low of 259 persons per square mile in Martin County to a high of 656 persons per square mile in Palm Beach County. Table 4.10.1 displays current and projected population through 2020. 

## Demographics

In 2007, the Treasure Coast’s population stood at 1.8 million, or 10 percent of the state’s total population. By 2020, nearly 250,000 new residents are projected to live in the region, a 45 percent increase. Thepopulation is growing as a result of the miSebastian Inlet State Park, Indian River County Table 4.10.1 Current and Projected Population Treasure Coast Region

County Projections Percentage Change 2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Indian River 112,947 139,757 145,800 162,000 176,900 56.6 Martin 126,731 143,737 147,900 158,900 169,000 33.4 Palm Beach 1,131,191 1,295,033 1,335,500 1,444,000 1,543,800 36.5 St. Lucie 192,695 271,961 288,900 335,000 378,400 96.4 Region Totals 1,563,564 1,850,488 1,918,100 2,099,900 2,268,100 45.0

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 20084—78 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

a nursery area for many species of fish andother aquatic species. Its outstanding wildlife values are one of the region’s most significant outdoor recreation resources.

Nearly three-quarters of a million acres ofland and water are available for outdoor recreation in the region. Consistent with distributions in other regions, federal agencies provide one-fifth of the recreation acreage, all of which is contained in three national wildlife refuges managed by the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service. These areas offer outstanding opportunities for wildlife viewing, nature study, canoeing and hiking.

State agencies administer roughly two-thirds of the recreation lands in the region at 66separate areas. State agencies are the largest suppliers of hunting acres and many types of recreational trails (unpaved bicycletrails, equestrian trails, hiking trails and na

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

The primary natural features of the Treasure Coast Region include the sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast, a chain of barrier islands and their associated inlets and estuaries, diverse upland natural communities, largeand intact wetland systems, and the freshwater resources of Lake Okeechobee. These resources provide opportunities forthe full range of resource-based outdoor recreation activities. Of particular significance to the region is the Indian River Lagoon, which covers an area of more than 883,000 acres and spans some 156 miles from northto south. In 1991, the Lagoon was designated a national estuary and today is the focus of joint state, federal and local land acquisition, planning and management to reverse the harm done in the past by impoundments, drainage practices and pollution. The Lagoon is vital to the Treasure Coast as Federal

20.5% State
65.6%

County

8.0% Municipal
1.0% Non-Government
4.8% Figure 4.10.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider Treasure Coast Region4—79 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

ture trails). Five state parks provide 3.5 miles of highly popular saltwater beaches and some of the best camping opportunitiesin the region. Water management lands protect slightly less than 180,000 acres for water resource protection and compatible resource-based activities.

County and municipal governments play a major role in providing both resource-based and user-oriented resources and facilities. Together, they provide nine percent of theregion’s total recreation land. Local agencies are the region’s leading public providers of many types of resource-based facilities, including historic sites and museums, RV/trailer campsites, picnicking facilities, freshwater and saltwater beaches, piers, boat ramps and some types of recreationaltrails. As is typical of other regions, they provide virtually all of the user-oriented facilities offered by the public sector.

The private sector provides 315 recreation areas and 21,794 acres, just less than fivepercent of the region’s total. Private agencies account for the majority of RV/trailer and tent campsites and cabins. They are also the primary providers of freshwater and saltwater marina slips and golfing facilities.

Table 4.10.2 displays outdoor recreation resources in the Treasure Coast Region bycategory of provider. Table 4.10.3 lists major outdoor recreation opportunities provided by national, state and municipal agencies. Calypso Bay, Palm Beach County4—80 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 8 66 464 461 315 1,314 LAND Acres 149,313 424,939 51,816 6,870 32,679 665,617 WATER Acres 4,144 60,392 8,340 443 3,020 76,339 ACRES TOTAL Acres 153,457 491,046 60,156 7,316 36,155 748,130

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 0 12 14 0 37 63
TENT CAM PSITES Sites 8 227 132 62 375 804 RV CAM PSITES Sites 138 186 591 996 5,160 7,071
HISTORIC SITES Sites 0 3 5 11 16 35
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 1 18 9 6 6 40
M USEUM S M useums 3 6 24 9 13 55 PICNIC TABLES Tables 12 408 1,413 1,771 2,293 5,897 HUNTING AREAS Acres 30,000 311,366 0 0 2,000 343,366

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 0.0 0.0 18.4 52.1 8.4 78.9
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 12.0 117.9 21.6 20.2 1.0 172.7
CANOE TRAIL M iles 5.5 14.5 12.0 32.5 0.0 64.5
HIKING TRAIL M iles 14.5 291.1 54.6 25.8 5.5 391.5
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 0.0 140.8 18.4 0.0 4.2 163.4
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 0.0 1.7 34.7 35.4 9.1 80.9
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 1.4 44.9 38.6 24.0 7.6 116.5

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.0 0.0 9.6 0.1 0.1 9.8 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 4 20 27 20 9 80
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 6 20 36 32 9 103 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 100 200 2,086 4,385 375 7,146
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 1 4 13 10 5 33
FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 0 150 50 50 250
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 2 1 2 4 13 22 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 16 0 20 290 611 937
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 0 2 5 16 1 24 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 0 350 340 2,422 0 3,112
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 3.5 7.8 12.3 10.4 6.4 40.4 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 0 3 33 39 16 91
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 0 5 51 50 15 121
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 3 35 15 17 71 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 150 262 4,897 6,525 7,226 19,060 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 0 620 2,427 2,126 270 5,443
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 0 4 16 107 127 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 0 45 78 507 4,825 5,455
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 1 0 14 10 3 28 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 200 0 2,325 2,095 675 5,295

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 0 8 354 214 13 589
BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 0 4 565 304 58 931
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 2 5 236 236 40 519
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 0 11 155 69 8 243 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 0 4 9 146 159 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 7 3 16 26 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 1 3 31 35 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 0 138 225 2,961 3,324
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 0 0 76 34 22 132
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 0 5 206 86 11 308
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 1 2 11 20 196 230
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 0 20 199 74 28 321
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 1 0 37 186 209 433 TENNIS COURTS Courts 0 18 295 305 871 1,489
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 2 49 28 3 82 Table 4.10.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider Treasure Coast Region 20074—81 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Reported County and Municipal Areas County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres
Indian River 71 8,858 50 494 Martin 74 2,134 29 141 Palm Beach 251 41,123 322 6,202 St. Lucie 68 8,042 60 479 *Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area. State Parks (continued) Acres Jonathan Dickinson 11,479 John D. MacArthur Beach 438 Savannas 7,192 Seabranch 922 Sebastian Inlet (Indian River

County portion) 430 St. Sebastian River (Indian River

County portion) 10,883 St. Lucie Inlet 4,835 Water Management District Lands

St. Johns River WMD

Blue Cypress* 54,458 Fort Drum Marsh* 20,862 Oslo Riverfront 336 South Florida WMD

Allapattah Flats* 20,946 DuPuis* 21,875 STA 1W* 6,848

Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife & Environmental Areas

Holey Land* 35,350 J.W. Corbett 60,228 John C. and Marianna Jones/ Hungryland* 12,415 Rotenberger* 28,760 STA 3/4* 16,772

Everglades & Francis S. Taylor (Palm Beach County portion)* 36,832 Table 4.10.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas Treasure Coast Region 2007



### Federal Areas

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Acres Loxahatchee 8 National Wildlife Refuges

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee* 147,368 Hobe Sound 1,035 Pelican Island 4,756 

### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Indian River-Vero Beach to 11,000

Ft. Pierce Jensen Beach to Jupiter Inlet 22,000 Loxahatchee River-Lake Worth

Creek 9,000 North Fork-St. Lucie 6,100 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Indian River Lagoon—Treasure

Coast Scenic Highway 42 Greenways and Trails Lake Okeechobee (Martin and 39

State Parks Acres Atlantic Ridge 5,747 Avalon 658 Fort Pierce Inlet 1,141 Archie Carr (Indian River County

portion) 62

Palm Beach County segment)4—82 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

natural resources, the region offers outstanding urban recreation opportunities centered around a vibrant, diverse culture, the waters of Biscayne Bay and nearly 70 miles of sandy Atlantic Ocean beach.



## Economy

As the state’s most populated region, the South region offers a number of advantages to businesses, including proximity to more 

## South Florida Region

The South Florida Region encompasses 7,488 square miles at the southern tip of thestate. It is comprised of Broward, MiamiDade and Monroe counties and 71 municipalities. Florida’s most populated region, it is also home to the state’s two best-known natural treasures, the Everglades and theFlorida Keys. These areas possess inestimable natural values and support a tremendous diversity of resource-based recreation opportunities. To complement these unique

Figure 4.11.1 Public Conservation Lands4—83 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

Tourism is big business in South Florida. The famous beaches, world-class maritime facilities and services , entertainment, artsand the unique natural attractions of the Everglades and the Keys bring millions of people to the area each year. According to data collected by the Greater Miami Conventionand Visitors Bureau, 11.6 million people visited the Miami area in 2006. Of these, 54percent were domestic visitors and 46 percent were international visitors. During their stays, they contributed $16.3 billion in direct economic impact. Similarly, tourism is the major economic driver of the Keys. For the same time period, Monroe County bed tax revenue generated by transient hotel stays totaled $14.6 million, a 2.3 percent increase over the previous year.than 4.2 million residents and an annual visitor flow of more than twice that number. The region’s highly diverse population and its proximity to markets in the Caribbean and Central and South America are advantages for the region’s competitiveness in the globaleconomy. Retail trade, services and construction are major sectors of the region’seconomy. The region is served by three international airports and three major seaports that are important in passenger traffic and cargo shipments. Miami International Airport is the 15 th 

### largest airport in the United States and served 32.5 million passengers in 2006. It provides extensive service to Central and South America. Fort Lauderdale/HollywoodInternational Airport primarily handles domestic traffic. The Port of Miami and PortEverglades are major freight and cruise terminals serving the Caribbean and other destinations. Key West has scheduled air service and a deep water port that handles cruise traffic. Miami Marina at Bayside, Miami-Dade County4—84 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

the most significant source of growth in the region. Population density ranges from a low of 78 persons per square mile in Monroe County to a high of 1,461 persons per square mile in Broward County, the second highest density in the state. Table 4.11.1 displays current population and projected future growth for the three–county area through 2020. 

## Demographics

In 2007, the South region was home to 4.3 million people, or more than 23 percent oftotal Florida population. Projections estimate that 905,000 additional residents will live there by 2020, a 23 percent increase from 2000 census figures. The region’s population continues to grow more diverse and slightly younger as a result of the influx of younger international immigrants who are Table 4.11.1 Current and Projected Population South Florida Region

County Projections Percentage Change

2000 2007 2010 2015 2020 2000-2020 Broward 1,623,018 1,765,707 1,806,300 1,915,800 2,016,400 24.2 Miami-Dade 2,253,779 2,462,292 2,512,300 2,645,500 2,768,300 22.8 Monroe 79,589 78,987 78,700 77,800 77,000 -3.3 Region Totals 3,956,386 4,306,986 4,397,300 4,639,100 4,861,700 22.9

Source: University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research, 2008

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Monroe County4—85 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

have attracted visitors from all over the world for years. The sanctuary contains one of North America's most diverse assemblagesof estuarine and marine wildlife and vegetation, including mangrove-fringed shorelines,seagrass meadows and hardbottom habitats, thousands of patch reefs, and one of the world’s largest natural coral reef tracts.

There are over three million acres of land and water available for outdoor recreation in the South region. The federal government is by far the largest supplier in terms of overall acreage, providing 69 percent of the total available. Nearly half of these acres arecontained within one management unit, Everglades National Park. In no other region does the federal government play as large a role compared to other levels of providers. The federal lands provide ample outdoor recreation areas for participation in activitiessuch as hunting, saltwater boating, freshwater boating, fishing and canoeing and kayaking. 

## Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities

South Florida’s diverse natural, cultural andhistorical resources are unlike any other region in the state. The Atlantic Ocean and its sandy beaches, numerous bays, coastalmarshes and marine sanctuaries offer excellent opportunities for camping, hunting, hiking, swimming, bicycling, fishing, bird watching, boating and saltwater beach activities. The Florida Keys provide South Florida with a rich diversity of plant and animal life within its low coastal topography, and support some of the most interesting and productive diving, snorkeling and fishing opportunities in the world. The 3,800-square mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary surroundsthe entire archipelago and includes the productive waters of Florida Bay, the Gulf ofMexico and the Atlantic. Unique and precious cultural resources are also contained within the sanctuary. The proximity of coral reefs to centuries-old shipping routes hasresulted in a high concentration of shipwrecks and an abundance of artifacts that State
29.0% Federal

69.1%

Non-Government
0.8% County
0.7% Municipal
0.4%

Figure 4.11.2 Outdoor Recreation Acreage by Category of Provider South Florida Region4—86 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

addition, local governments provide a major share of recreational trails and water access facilities such as freshwater and saltwater boat ramps, marinas and shoreline fishing structures.

The commercial sector supplies the majority of camping opportunities in the region with a total of 10,202 RV/trailer campsites, 292 cabins and 678 tent campsites. Of all thesuppliers in the region, commercial businesses are the largest providers of freshwater and saltwater boat ramps and marina slips. In addition, 83 percent of the golf courses in the region are located on club or commercial properties.

Table 4.11.2 shows the South region’s outdoor recreation resources by provider. Table 4.11.3 lists major outdoor recreation opportunities provided or managed by national, state and municipal entities. State government agencies provide more than 910,000 acres of outdoor recreationland and water at 77 managed sites ( 29 percent of the region’s acreage total). State agencies are the region’s largest provider of hunting acres, hiking and nature trails, andfreshwater boat ramps. State suppliers provide a larger than average amount of someuser-oriented facilities (tennis courts, racquetball courts and playing fields) primarily at state universities and community college campuses.

South Florida’s county and municipal governments are among the state’s most accomplished at providing a balanced range ofresource-based opportunities for their residents and out-of-state visitors. They administer programs and activities on over 32,000 acres and nearly 1,500 outdoor recreation areas. User-oriented activities are major activities for residents and tourists in the South region. Local governments providethe vast majority of baseball fields, basketball goals and football fields in the region. In Fort Lauderdale, Broward County4—87 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

RESOURCE/FACILITY UNITS Federal State County M unicipal Non-Government TOTAL

OUTDOOR RECREATION AREAS Areas 34 77 442 1,012 489 2,054 LAND Acres 1,047,455 694,124 19,187 11,186 24,200 1,796,151 WATER Acres 1,128,275 218,803 1,537 502 1,492 1,350,609 ACRES TOTAL Acres 2,175,730 912,927 20,724 11,743 25,850 3,146,974

RESOURCE-BASED

CABINS Cabins 53 20 17 0 292 382 TENT CAM PSITES Sites 208 225 151 29 678 1,290 RV CAM PSITES Sites 519 203 703 580 10,202 12,207
HISTORIC SITES Sites 2 25 32 29 20 108
COM M EM STRUCTURES Structures 0 4 3 32 1 40
M USEUM S M useums 7 10 22 10 22 71 PICNIC TABLES Tables 399 956 3,211 3,197 6,495 14,258 HUNTING AREAS Acres 40,000 658,451 0 0 0 698,451

BIKE TRAIL PAVED M iles 26.0 124.3 60.2 190.9 2.8 404.2
BIKE TRAIL UNPAVED M iles 18.2 20.5 21.0 13.1 1.0 73.8
CANOE TRAIL M iles 184.8 25.9 12.2 18.7 50.0 291.6
HIKING TRAIL M iles 119.1 149.5 44.5 102.1 4.3 419.5
EQUESTRIAN TRAIL M iles 0.0 3.0 47.6 64.3 24.0 138.9
JOGGING TRAIL M iles 1.5 5.6 61.7 113.1 9.1 191.0
OHV TRAIL M iles 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
NATURE TRAIL M iles 19.0 112.3 70.6 42.7 9.2 253.8

FRESHWATER BEACH M iles 0.1 0.0 0.6 0.9 1.0 2.6 FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 4 48 20 30 8 110
FRESHWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 4 59 23 45 13 144
FRESHWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 0 2 11 28 4 45 FRESHWATER CATWALKS Feet 0 105 3,616 4,698 190 8,609 FRESHWATER JETTIES Feet 0 42 1,560 3,125 0 4,727
FRESHWATER M ARINAS M arinas 0 1 0 0 6 7 FRESHWATER M ARINAS Slips 0 15 10 0 300 325
FRESHWATER PIERS Piers 0 0 10 28 1 39 FRESHWATER PIERS Feet 0 0 322 1,630 50 2,002
SALTWATER BEACH M iles 16.2 12.0 4.7 24.8 10.0 67.7 SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Ramps 8 11 41 48 94 202
SALTWATER BOAT RAM PS Lanes 13 18 78 67 107 283
SALTWATER CATWALKS Catwalks 1 2 7 18 37 65 SALTWATER CATWALKS Feet 150 1,460 2,583 83,542 20,305 108,040 SALTWATER JETTIES Feet 7,800 950 3,095 1,367 8,104 21,316
SALTWATER M ARINAS M arinas 4 2 7 22 299 334 SALTWATER M ARINA SLIPS Slips 324 57 1,005 1,662 10,917 13,965
SALTWATER PIERS Piers 2 9 3 24 34 72 SALTWATER PIERS Feet 120 100 1,530 7,499 4,192 13,441

USER-ORIENTED

BASEBALL FIELDS Fields 4 11 218 500 25 758 BASKETBALL GOALS Goals 17 8 605 797 112 1,539
EQUIPPED PLAY AREAS Areas 6 6 211 529 44 796
FOOTBALL FIELDS Fields 2 10 88 257 17 374 GOLF COURSES, 18-HOLE Courses 0 0 4 13 86 103 GOLF COURSES, 9-HOLE Courses 0 0 3 4 11 18 GOLF COURSES, EXECUTIVE Courses 0 0 0 4 22 26 GOLF HOLES TOTAL Holes 0 0 99 315 1,958 2,372
M ULTI-USE COURTS Courts 1 1 31 81 19 133
M ULTI-USE FIELDS Fields 2 11 99 157 19 288
OUTDOOR SWIM M ING POOLS Pools 2 6 57 90 239 394
RACQUETBALL COURTS Courts 3 40 149 242 70 504
SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS Courts 0 0 95 236 193 524 TENNIS COURTS Courts 14 57 381 755 920 2,127
VOLLEYBALL COURTS Courts 0 1 39 61 1 102 Table 4.11.2 Outdoor Recreation Resources and Facilities by Category of Provider South Florida Region 20074—88 

### Outdoor Recreation in Florida, 2008

State Parks Acres Bahia Honda 491 Bill Baggs Cape Florida 432 Curry Hammock 970 Dagny Johnson Key Largo 2,421

Hammock Fort Zachary Taylor 56 Hugh Taylor Birch 175 Indian Key 110 John Pennekamp Coral Reef 63,836 John U. Lloyd Beach 311 Lignumvitae Key 10,818 Long Key 980 Oleta River 1,033 San Pedro 644 The Barnacle 10 Windley Key Fossil Reef 32 Water Management District Lands

South Florida

Everglades Buffer Strip 1,713 Southern Glades/Frog Pond* 33,938 Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife & Environmental Areas Everglades & Francis S. Taylor

(Miami-Dade and Monroe

Florida Keys 2,854

County portion)* 639,180 

### Federal Areas

National Marine Sanctuaries Sq. Miles Florida Keys 1,792,000 National Parks Acres Big Cypress (Miami-Dade and

Monroe County portion) 151,179 Biscayne 172,971 Dry Tortugas 64,657 Everglades (Miami-Dade and

Monroe County portion) 1,469,279 National Wildlife Refuges Crocodile Lake 6,800 Great White Heron 168,960 Key West 240,000



### State Areas

Aquatic Preserves Biscayne Bay 69,000 Biscayne Bay-Cape Florida to

Monroe County Line 67,000 Coupon Bight 9,000 Lignumvitae Key 7,000 Florida Scenic Highways Miles Florida Keys Scenic Highway 106 Greenways and Trails Florida Keys Overseas Heritage

Trail 100

*Hunting managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Cons ervation Commission as a wildlife management area.



### Reported County and Municipal Areas County Municipal Areas Acres Areas Acres Broward 145 7,412 594 7,317 Miami-Dade 272 7,317 386 17,295 Monroe 25 160 32 283 Table 4.11.3 Major Outdoor Recreation Areas South Florida Region 2007