Special Publication SJ2004-SP35 

Visitor Profiles, Economic Impacts and Recreational Aesthetic Values 

Associated with Eight Priority Florida Springs Located in the 

St. Johns River Water Management District 

Submitted by: 

Mark A. Bonn, Ph.D., CEO 

Bonn Marketing Research Group, Inc. 

P.O. Box 1356 

Tallahassee, Florida 32302 

850-567-1826 

for 

St. Johns River Water Management District 

Division of Water Supply Management 

Department of Resource Management 

4049 Reid Street 

Palatka, FL 32177 

Attn: G.B. (Sonny) Hall, Ph.D. 

386-329-4368 

July 2004 

 i

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................. i 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ES-i 

CHAPTER 1.................................................................................................................... 1 

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRIORITY SPRINGS ECONOMIC ANALYSES FOR 

MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS DEVELOPMENT 

1.1. Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................... 1 

1.2. An Overview of Priority Spring Attendance..................................................... 2 

1.3. An Overview of the Seasonality of Spring Attendance................................... 4 

CHAPTER 2.................................................................................................................... 8 

MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SILVER GLEN 

SPRINGS AND SILVER SPRINGS 

2.1. An Economic Profile of Marion County, Florida.............................................. 8 

2.2. Silver Glen Springs .......................................................................................... 12 

2.2.1. Description of Silver Glen Springs........................................................... 12 

2.2.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 13 

2.2.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside Marion County - Spending, 

Wages and Employment Generated Quarterly and Annually .................. 14 

2.2.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value .................................................... 21 

2.2.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 22

2.3. Silver Springs................................................................................................... 22 

2.3.1. Description of Silver Springs ................................................................... 22 

2.3.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 23 

2.3.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages 

and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually ............................ 24 

2.3.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value .................................................... 25 

2.3.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 26

CHAPTER 3.................................................................................................................. 27 

LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ALEXANDER SPRINGS, 

APOPKA SPRING AND BUGG SPRING 

3.1. An Economic Profile of Lake County, Florida ............................................... 27 

3.2. Alexander Springs ........................................................................................... 31 

3.2.1. Description of Springs ............................................................................. 31 

3.2.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance: .......................................................... 31 
 ii

3.2.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages 

and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually ............................ 32 

3.2.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value .................................................... 34 

3.2.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 35

3.3. Apopka Spring.................................................................................................. 35 

3.3.1. Description of the Spring ......................................................................... 35 

3.3.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 36 

3.3.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside Lake County - Spending, 

Wages and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually ................ 36 

3.3.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use of Value ................................................ 37 

3.3.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 38

3.4. Bugg Spring...................................................................................................... 38 

3.4.1. Description of Spring ............................................................................... 38 

3.4.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 39 

3.4.3. The Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County- Spending; 

Wages and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually ................ 39 

3.4.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value of Springs ................................... 40 

3.4.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 40

CHAPTER 4.................................................................................................................. 41 

VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF PONCE DE LEON 

SPRINGS, GEMINI SPRINGS, AND GREEN SPRINGS 

4.1. Economic Profile of Volusia County, Florida................................................. 41 

4.2. Ponce de Leon Springs ................................................................................... 45 

4.2.1. Description of the Springs ....................................................................... 45 

4.2.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 45 

4.2.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages, 

and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually ............................ 46 

4.2.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value .................................................... 47 

4.2.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 48

4.3. Gemini Springs: ............................................................................................... 48 

4.3.1. Description of Springs ............................................................................. 48 

4.3.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 48 

4.3.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending; Wages 

and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually: ........................... 49 

4.3.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value .................................................... 50 

4.3.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 50

4.4. Green Springs .................................................................................................. 51 

4.4.1. Description of the Spring ......................................................................... 51 

4.4.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance ........................................................... 51 
 iii

4.4.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages, 

and Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually ............................ 51 

4.4.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value .................................................... 52 

4.4.5. Visitor Profile ........................................................................................... 53

CHAPTER 5.................................................................................................................. 54 

SUMMARY 

REFERENCES............................................................................................ 59

APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 60 

Appendix A: Quarterly Visitor Economic Impact for Eight Priority Springs .................... 61 

Appendix B: Quarterly Visitor Profile................................................................123

Appendix C: Silver Glen Springs Visitor Profile........................................................... 129 

Appendix D: Silver Springs Visitor Profile ................................................................... 130 

Appendix E: Alexander Springs Visitor Profile ............................................................ 131 

Appendix F: Apopka Spring Visitor Profile .................................................................. 132 

Appendix G: Ponce de Leon Springs Visitor Profile.................................................... 133 

Appendix H: Gemini Springs Visitor Profile................................................................. 134 

Appendix I: Florida Springs Visitor Survey.................................................................. 135
 iv

List of Tables 

Executive Summary 

Table ES-1 A Summary of the Seasonality of Attendance by Quarter for Eight Priority 

Springs in Marion, Lake and Volusia Counties, Florida.................................. ES-2 

Table ES-2 Economic Impact Summary for Eight Priority Springs........................... ES-7 

Chapters 1-5 

Table 1.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 3 

 Estimated Total Annual Attendance and Visitors from Outside the County for Eight Priority 

Springs in Marion; Lake and Volusia Counties, Florida

Table 1.2 ......................................................................................................................................... 6 

 A Summary of the Seasonality of Attendance by Quarter in Eight Priority Springs in 

Marion; Lake and Volusia Counties, Florida 

Table 2.1 ......................................................................................................................................... 9 

Growth of Selected Economic Indicators for Marion County, Florida Containing Two 

Priority Springs, 1990-2001

Table 2.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 11 

Socioeconomic Profile of Marion County, Florida Containing Two Priority Springs, 2001

Table 2.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 11 

 Economic Characteristics of Marion County, Florida Containing Two Priority Springs, 

2001

Table 2.4 ....................................................................................................................................... 13 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Silver Glen Springs

Table 2.5 ....................................................................................................................................... 16 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with Silver Glen Springs, 

Marion County, Florida 3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

Table 2.6 ....................................................................................................................................... 20 

Estimation of Quarterly Spending; Created Employment and Wages at Glen Springs for 

Marion County, Florida 3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

Table 2.7 ....................................................................................................................................... 20 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Silver Glen Springs on 

Marion County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 2.8 ....................................................................................................................................... 23 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Silver Springs
 v

Table 2.9 ....................................................................................................................................... 25 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Silver Springs on 

Marion County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 3.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 28 

Growth of Selected Economic Indicators for Lake County, Florida Containing Three 

Priority Springs, 1990-2001

Table 3.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 30 

Socioeconomic Profile of Lake County, Florida Containing Three Priority Springs, 2001

Table 3.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 30 

Economic Characteristics of Lake County, Florida Containing Three Priority Springs, 

2001 

Table 3.4 ....................................................................................................................................... 32 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Silver Glen Springs

Table 3.5 ....................................................................................................................................... 34 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Alexander Springs on 

Lake County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 3.6 ....................................................................................................................................... 35 

Use Value for Alexander Springs

Table 3.7 ....................................................................................................................................... 37 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Apopka Spring on 

Lake County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 3.8 ....................................................................................................................................... 38 

Use Value for Apopka Spring

Table 3.9 ....................................................................................................................................... 40 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Bugg Spring on Lake 

County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 4.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 42 

Growth of Selected Economic Indicators for Volusia County, Florida Containing Three 

Priority Springs, 1990-2001

Table 4.2 ....................................................................................................................................... 44 

Socioeconomic Profile of Volusia County, Florida Containing Three Priority Springs, 2001

Table 4.3 ....................................................................................................................................... 44 

Economic Characteristics of Volusia County, Florida Containing Three Priority Springs, 

2001
 vi

Table 4.4 ....................................................................................................................................... 45 

Annual Attendance Trend 1990-2002, Ponce de Leon Springs

Table 4.4 ....................................................................................................................................... 46 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Ponce de Leon Springs

Table 4.5 ....................................................................................................................................... 47 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Ponce de Leon Springs 

on Volusia County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 4.6 ....................................................................................................................................... 49 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Gemini Springs

Table 4.7 ....................................................................................................................................... 50 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Gemini Springs on 

Volusia County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 4.8 ....................................................................................................................................... 52 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Green Springs on 

Volusia County, Florida, 2003-2004

Table 5.1 ....................................................................................................................................... 56 

Total Economic Impact for Eight Priority Springs

Table 5.2 Visitor Spending Component ....................................................................................... 57

Table 5.3 Overall Springs Visitor Profile..................................................................................... 58
 i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

The success of any project is dependent upon the cooperation of many individuals. This 

particular project involved a number of team players that all worked together in order to 

complete this twelve-month study. 

 Special acknowledgements are extended to the St. Johns River Water Management 

District (SJRWMD) personnel. In particular, G.B. (Sonny) Hall, Ph.D., Technical Program 

Manager, Division of Water Supply Management, is to be thanked for his vision and 

commitment to obtain vital information related to priority natural springs. He is also recognized 

for assistance with the project’s report editing tasks along with Chris Ware, Environmental 

Scientist, SJRWMD. Carol Miller, Administrative Assistant, SJRWMD, is to be recognized for 

her help with administrative details. 

 Dr. Fred Bell, Professor Emeritus, Department of Economics, Florida State University, is 

to be recognized for his efforts related to economic report writing and economic interpretation. 

Rhonda Wiggins, President, Marketing Intelligence for Business, is recognized for assistance 

with all on-site data collection efforts. Mo Dai, Research Manager, Bonn Marketing Research 

Group, Inc. is thanked for her assistance with project data management, manuscript preparation, 

and many other tasks. 

 

 Finally, appreciation is extended to all of those county, state and federal government 

representatives providing invaluable information necessary for the completion of this study. 

 Mark A. Bonn, Ph.D. 

 President 

 Bonn Marketing Research Group, Inc. 

 

 ES-1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Purpose of the Study 

 The purpose of this research project was to establish a present baseline of knowledge 

pertaining to visitor characteristics including their economic impacts and associated recreational 

values for eight priority springs in the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD). 

Priority springs by definition are those springs prioritized by SJRWMD for the establishment of 

minimum flows and levels in accordance with Chapter 373, Florida Statutes. These springs by 

county include: 

Marion County: 

1. Silver Glen Springs 

2. Silver Springs 

Lake County: 

3. Alexander Springs 

4. Apopka Spring 

5. Bugg Spring 

Volusia County: 

6. Ponce de Leon Springs 

7. Gemini Springs 

8. Green Springs 

This research project included on-site data collection, editing, collation, entry, and 

various statistical and economic analyses over a twelve-month period of time for the eight 

selected priority springs. A total of 2,298 usable surveys were obtained to meet the objectives of 

this study. This allowed for overall statistical reporting at the 95% level of confidence with +/- 

5% error. 

During the twelve months of on-site data collection, it became obvious that seasonality 

was a key issue related to springs usage patterns. Table ES-1 identifies the seasonality of 

attendance by quarter for the priority springs. 
 ES-2

 Table ES-1 

 A Summary of the Seasonality of Attendance by Quarter in Eight Priority Springs in 

Marion, Lake and Volusia Counties, Florida 

Springs First 

(Jan-Mar)

Second 

(Apr-June)

Third 

(July-Sept)

Fourth 

(Oct-Dec)

Annual 

% 

Source of 

Data 

Marion County 

1. Silver Glen Springs 7% 44% 43% 6% 100% USFS* 

2. Silver Springs 25 28 27 20 100 Shifflet** 

 

Lake County 

3. Alexander Springs 

 Day Visitors 15 41 37 7 100 USFS* 

 Camper Visitors 31 31 17 21 100 USFS* 

4. Apopka Spring 15 41 37 7 100 Alex**** 

5. Bugg Spring 15 41 37 7 100 Alex  

 

Volusia County 

6. Ponce de Leon Springs 21 33 34 12 100 Florida** * 

7. Gemini Springs 20 40 24 16 100 Volusia 

County*****

8. Green Springs 20 40 24 16 100 Volusia 

County*****

 

Average 19% 38% 31% 12% 100% 

* U.S. Forest Service Data, 1998-2002; 

** Shifflet and Associates for Central Region of Florida (2002); 

*** Florida Park Service, 1990-2002; 

  Alexander Springs Seasonality in Lake County is used for Apopka Spring and Bugg Spring in same county; 

** *** Gemini Springs Seasonality in Volusia County is used for Green Springs in same county. 

FINDINGS

Silver Glen Springs

3⁄4 Average party size: 3.5 (74% non-county residents) 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: 1.6 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: $44.31 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: $4.17 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties1

: 3% 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? 21.5% 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $348,770.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $66,370.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 5.63 full/part time jobs 

 

1

 Commercial lodging properties include hotels/motels, campgrounds and RV parks. 
 ES-3

Silver Springs

3⁄4 Average party size: 3.0 (percent of non-county residents unavailable) 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: 2.3 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: $248.60 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: N/A 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: N/A 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? N/A 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $61,450,000.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $12,610,000.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 1,060.5 full/part time jobs 

Alexander Springs

3⁄4 Average party size: 3.7 (54% non-county residents) 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: 1.2 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: $43.85 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: $4.57 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: 29.3% 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? 20.0% 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $775,520.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $170,240.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 13.6 full/part time jobs 

Apopka Spring

3⁄4 Average party size: 3.3 (67% non-county residents) 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: 1.3 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: $22.21 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: $4.50 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: 23.4% 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? 34.3% 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $28,520.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $5,940.00 
 ES-4

3⁄4 Employment created: 0.52 full/part time jobs 

Bugg Spring

3⁄4 Average party size: N/A 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: N/A 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: N/A 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: N/A 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: N/A 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? N/A 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $11,660.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $2,420.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 0.21 full/part time jobs 

Ponce de Leon Springs

3⁄4 Average party size: 3.7 (62% non-county residents) 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: 1.1 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: $43.50 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: $4.95 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: 14.0% 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? 43.8% 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $2,185,440.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $425,600.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 36.11 full/part time jobs 

Gemini Springs

3⁄4 Average party size: 3.9 (51% non-county residents) 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: 1.2 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: $34.10 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: $4.67 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: 5.8% 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? 17.8% 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $322,870.00 
 ES-5

3⁄4 Wages created: $68,910.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 6.26 full/part time jobs 

Green Springs

3⁄4 Average party size: N/A 

3⁄4 Average nights spent: N/A 

3⁄4 Daily expenditures per party: N/A 

3⁄4 Willingness to pay for access to private springs: N/A 

3⁄4 Percent using commercial lodging properties: N/A 

3⁄4 First visit to springs? N/A 

3⁄4 Annual economic impact: $81,550.00 

3⁄4 Wages created: $16,870.00 

3⁄4 Employment created: 1.53 full/part time jobs 

Overall findings for the eight priority springs indicated that total annual direct spending 

by visitors accounted for over $65 million, generated over $13 million in wages, and 

created over 1,100 jobs. Silver Springs, which has a large theme park associated with the 

natural springs environment, accounted for 94% of the total economic impact to the 

region, while the remainder of the springs contributed only 6% (Table ES-2). 

 

Table ES-2 Economic Impact Summary for Eight Springs 

Springs Direct Spending % Wages % Employment % 

Silver Glen $348,770.00 0.53% $66,370.00 0.50% 5.63 0.50%

Silver $61,450,000.00 94.24% $12,610,000.00 94.34% 1,060.50 94.32%

Alexander $775,520.00 1.19% $170,240.00 1.27% 13.60 1.21%

Apopka $28,520.00 0.04% $5,940.00 0.04% 0.52 0.05%

Bugg $11,660.00 0.02% $2,420.00 0.02% 0.21 0.02%

Ponce de Leon $2,185,440.00 3.35% $425,600.00 3.18% 36.11 3.21%

Gemini $322,870.00 0.50% $68,910.00 0.52% 6.26 0.56%

Green $81,550.00 0.13% $16,870.00 0.13% 1.53 0.14%

Total $65,204,330.00 100.00% $13,366,350.00 100.00% 1,124.36 100.00%
 1

CHAPTER 1 

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRIORITY SPRINGS ECONOMIC ANALYSES FOR 

MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS DEVELOPMENT 

1.1. Purpose of the Study 

 The purpose of this Chapter is to introduce to the reader the economic impacts and 

recreational and aesthetic values associated with eight priority springs in the St. John River 

Water Management District (SJRWMD). By State of Florida law, SJRWMD must establish 

minimum flows and levels (MFLs) necessary to prevent significant ecological damage or harm 

to both permitted consumptive and non-consumptive uses such as navigation, recreation, fish and 

wildlife habitat and other natural resources. MFLs designate hydrological conditions that 

identify which water is available for reasonable beneficial use. If not set properly, these MFLs 

can also impair and harm economic activity connected with aquatic communities such as 

wetlands, streams and lakes, and springs for which Florida is famous with residents and visitors. 

An important objective of this research is to establish a data-base containing information, such as 

values, socioeconomic and associated market characteristics, etc., that surround the eight priority 

springs for which SJRWMD is developing MFLs. 

 The main objective of this research is to establish a present economic baseline including 

economic impacts and recreational values for eight priority springs in SJRWMD. These springs 

by county are: 

Marion County: 

Silver Glen Springs 

Silver Springs 

Lake County: 

Alexander Springs 

Apopka Spring 

Bugg Spring 

Volusia County: 

Ponce de Leon Springs 

Gemini Springs 

Green Springs 
 2

The St. Johns River Water Management District selected the Bonn Marketing Research 

Group, Inc. (BMRG) to complete this study of eight priority springs because of BMRG’s well 

established expertise in marketing research, economics and statistical applications applied to 

natural springs resources, tourism and recreation. Prior to the initiation of this project, BMRG 

recently completed several similar regional research projects for Florida water management 

districts that addressed many similar issues related to Florida springs visitors including their 

psychological characteristics and associated economic value attributed to their springs-related 

spending (Bonn & Bell, 2003). These eight priority springs addressed in this study range from 

highly developed, well attended springs to those in the development stage with little or presently 

no appreciable attendance. 

 The work designated by the contract included randomized day/site/time data collection, 

editing, collation, entry, and various statistical and economic analyses to present an assessment 

and summary of the economic impacts and recreational and aesthetic values for eight priority 

priority springs. Priority springs by definition are those springs prioritized by SJRWMD for the 

establishment of minimum flows and levels in accordance with Chapter 373, Florida Statutes. 

1.2. An Overview of Priority Spring Attendance 

 Table 1.1 shows a summary of some fundamental economic variables that we have 

gathered in our research for each of the eight priority springs. We have included estimated 

annual attendance; days per attendee; percent of total visitors from outside the county; the 

number of annual visitors from outside the county; the source/managing the particular spring and 

last year for which attendance was available given the time constraints of this contract. The 

source of such data in Table 1.1 varies considerably as does the quality of such data. Total 

attendance at all eight counties is a little over 1.5 million persons ranging from 2,900 visitors to 

Bugg Spring in Lake County to over one million persons visiting Silver Springs in Marion 

County (Table 1.1). These springs are managed/controlled by various state, federal, and private 

entities. For example, Ponce de Leon in Volusia County is managed and owned by the State of 

Florida. Silver Glen and Alexander Springs in Marion and Lake Counties respectively are owned 

and managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Gemini Springs and Green Springs are managed and 

owned by Volusia County. Finally, Silver Springs and Bugg Spring are privately controlled. 

Some springs are fully developed, such as Ponce de Leon, while others, such as Green Springs in 
 3

Volusia County, are under development by the county. Bugg Spring in Lake County is still held 

by private owners and or government entities (e.g., Federal government) that place this spring in 

a category of “developing.” Thus, there is great diversity in ownership and stage of development 

for the eight priority springs listed in Table 1.1. 

Table 1.1 

Estimated Total Annual Attendance and Visitors from Outside the County for Eight Priority Springs in 

Marion, Lake and Volusia Counties, Florida 

 

Annual 

Attendance 

(Person Days) 

Days Per 

Attendee

Percent 

from 

Outside 

County*

Estimated 

Number of 

Visitor to 

County 

Springs 

Managed by

Year for 

Data 

Marion County 

1. Silver Glen Springs 39,235 One 70% 27,471 USFS** 2002 

 

2. Silver Springs 1,096,000 One 70% 767,200 Private 2003 

 

Lake County 

3. Alexander Springs 

 Day 55,819 One 68% 37,957 USFS** 2002 

 Camping 21,414 Two 68% 14,562 USFS** 2002 

 

4. Apopka Spring 5,776*** One 70% 4,064 Florida  2003 

 

5. Bugg Spring 2,888** * One 61% 1,756 Private 2002 

 

Volusia County 

6. Ponce de Leon 259,000 One 72% 186,480 Florida**** 2002 

 

7. Gemini 57,755 One 64% 36,964 Volusia 

County 2002 

 

8. Green 14,439*** One 64% 9,241 Volusia 

County 2002 

Total 1,529,223 1,085,695 

* Percentage of Total Attendance Living Outside the County from On-Site Survey 

** Data Obtained from the United States Forest Service on Attendance. 

*** Official attendance figures are not available for Apopka, Bugg and Green springs. However, the potential 

attendance figures could be estimated by using Gemini attendance figures by Volusia County. The following 

conversion factors were applied: 

 -- Green Springs: 25% of Gemini 

 -- Apopka Spring: 10% of Gemini 

 -- Bugg Spring: 5% of Gemini 

**** The State of Florida owns Apopka Spring, but does not collect attendance data since it is not well developed. Of 

the 8 springs, the State of Florida runs only Ponce de Leon as an operating springs park. 
 4

Attendance at the priority springs is, in most cases, measured on a daily basis since the 

springs are closed for the night. Thus, the annual attendance shown in Table 1.1 is also the 

number of person days for the entire year with one exception, attendees who camp overnight at 

Alexander Springs, Lake County. Forest Service personnel indicate that campers usually stay in 

the campgrounds for at least 2 days. Person days are estimated by multiplying by 2. This will 

become important later in the economic analysis because spending is estimated through surveys 

on a per party day basis. More will be said about the economics procedure used to calculate the 

impact of spending by those attending the priority springs. 

 As indicated in Table 1.1, approximately two-thirds of those attending the priority springs 

come from outside the county in which the spring is located. This percentage is generally the 

same from spring to spring. Therefore, we see that of the over 1.5 million spring attendees, over 

1 million are not residents of the county in which the spring is located. From an economic 

impact point of view, visitors from outside a region or county infuse money spent during their 

visit into the local economy that reverberates through that county in a multiplier fashion. A 

dollar spent by visitors equates to a $1.30 - $1.80 impact upon the local economy and is, 

therefore, an important contribution to the economic base of each county. The economic base of 

each county is rooted in those industries and visitor facilities that draw money into the local 

economy. In addition, resident spending is stimulated by the availability of the spring(s) in their 

county. This is addressed in the following chapters where the economic impact for all springs 

specific to this study are addressed 

 The reader should be aware that this project stretched from 2003 to 2004. We were able 

to get some data earlier than other data on attendance. At the point of contact (i.e., researcher to 

the U.S. Forest Service), the most recent annual data were either 2002 or 2003. It will make little 

difference which of the most recent years is used because of the fluctuation in attendance from 

year to year. 

1.3. An Overview of the Seasonality of Spring Attendance 

 In developing MFLs for springs, it is important to recognize that hydrological events vary 

greatly within the year. Rainfall in Florida varies considerably depending on the region of the 

state. For example, precipitation in Jacksonville in 2001 was 0.6 inches in April and 16 inches in 

September (Florida Statistical Abstract). Such rainfall variation is not always the same from 
 5

year to year, but there is a noticeable seasonality in environmental variables. In many cases, 

variations in environmental variables, such as temperature and rainfall, are the causal factors 

behind variations in economic measures. Because of the interaction between environmental 

variables and economic behavior during the year, we developed seasonal indices of economic 

behavior. 

 Table 1.2 shows the estimated percent of annual attendance by quarter to provide the 

economic seasonality of attendance at springs. In most cases, the source of the data is from the 

same source that we used to obtain annual data (Table 1.1). We requested data from these 

sources on a monthly basis for several years, when possible, in order to establish the seasonality 

of priority springs attendance. Data records varied from source to source. For example, monthly 

attendance data for Ponce de Leon Spring were obtained from 1990-2002. The U.S. Forest 

Service only had attendance data going back to 1998. Gemini Springs in Volusia County has 

had only a few years to establish seasonal patterns. For some springs we used nearby springs as 

proxies for the springs in question because of lack of data. For example, the seasonality of 

Apopka and Bugg Spring was approximated by data obtained for Alexander Springs run by the 

U.S. Park Service and the seasonality of Green Springs was establish by using the data set we 

generated for Gemini Springs in Volusia County. Finally, the privately owned Silver Springs in 

Ocala did not provide any attendance data, but our analysis indicates that it is a theme park 

facility (e.g., Disney) that would exemplify the seasonality in tourism to Central Florida 

formulated by Shifflet (2002). In all cases, we contacted the officials involved with running or 

developing the springs to confirm that they were in agreement with our attendance projections. 

 The data show that strong attendance seasonality exists at the priority springs (Table 1.2). 

The non-weighted average of attendance at the priority springs indicates that 60 – 70% of the 

annual attendance occurs during the spring and summer (second and third quarters, Table 1.2). 

Weather probably plays a role in this distribution. Interesting attendance patterns are displayed 

by Alexander Springs in Lake County, the only spring analyzed that has camping facilities, and 

Silver Springs in Marion County, the only theme park facility. Day visitors to Alexander 

Springs show a seasonal pattern similar to the other priority springs. However, campers show a 

concentration in the winter and spring quarters presumably because in-state campers are avoiding 

the periods of extreme summer heat in Florida and out-of-state visitors are coming south during 

the winter months to enjoy the less extreme winter conditions experienced in Florida. Silver 
 6

Springs is estimated to have a more even attendance pattern because it is a theme park facility 

and should follow typical Florida attractions visitation patterns. 

 Table 1.2 

 A Summary of the Seasonality of Attendance by Quarter in Eight Priority Springs in 

Marion, Lake and Volusia Counties, Florida 

Springs First 

(Jan-Mar)

Second 

(Apr-June)

Third 

(July-Sept)

Fourth 

(Oct-Dec)

Annual 

% 

Source of 

Data 

Marion County 

1. Silver Glen Springs 7% 44% 43% 6% 100% USFS* 

2. Silver Springs 25 28 27 20 100 Shifflet** 

 

Lake County 

3. Alexander Springs 

 Day Visitors 15 41 37 7 100 USFS* 

 Camper Visitors 31 31 17 21 100 USFS* 

4. Apopka Spring 15 41 37 7 100 Alex**** 

5. Bugg Spring 15 41 37 7 100 Alex  

 

Volusia County 

6. Ponce de Leon Springs 21 33 34 12 100 Florida** * 

7. Gemini Springs 20 40 24 16 100 Volusia 

County*****

8. Green Springs 20 40 24 16 100 Volusia 

County*****

 

Average 19% 38% 31% 12% 100% 

* U.S. Forest Service Data, 1998-2002; 

** Shifflet and Associates for Central Region of Florida (2002); 

*** Florida Park Service, 1990-2002; 

  Alexander Springs Seasonality in Lake County is used for Apopka Spring and Bugg Spring in same county; 

** *** Gemini Springs Seasonality in Volusia County is used for Green Springs in same county. 

 The priority springs were sampled on a quarterly basis in order to better understand 

seasonality of attendance and issues related to seasonal patterns of spending, wages, and 

employment associated with the priority springs. In our analysis, we address economic impacts 

associated with priority springs in three counties: Lake, Marion, and Volusia. The following 

report chapters (2-4) provide a brief description of each spring and summarize: 
 7

• Economic trends and the level of economic activity in that county; 

• Annual and seasonal attendance; 

• The economic impact of the springs upon the county measured in spending; 

• Wages and employment both seasonally and annually; and 

• The economic value of recreational and aesthetic uses of the spring resources. 

This general outline will be used throughout our economic analysis or baseline economic 

data for all eight priority springs. Chapter 5 will summarize the recreational value of the springs 

along with the springs’ visitor profiles. 

 
 8

CHAPTER 2 

MARION COUNTY, FLORIDA: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF 

SILVER GLEN SPRINGS AND SILVER SPRINGS 

2.1. An Economic Profile of Marion County, Florida 

Marion County is located in north central Florida. This county contains two priority 

springs; Silver Glen Springs, located in the Ocala National Forest in the southern part of the 

county, and Silver Springs, located in and around the city of Ocala. These two priority springs 

draw approximately three-quarters of a million visitors from outside the county annually (Table 

1.1). Residents of Marion County comprise an estimated 30% of attendance or demand. Thus, 

the county economics is important in determining part of the demand for both priority springs. 

Since estimating the demand for these springs is part of the scope for this study, an economic 

profile for Marion County can be developed that may have a bearing on spring attendance. 

 Table 2.1 shows growth trends according to major economic indicators for Marion 

County during the period 1990-2001 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2003). In terms of the 

population growth rate, Marion County has increased by nearly 36% during this period, 

compared to a 26% increase for the State of Florida. In 2001, 0.26 million people resided in 

Marion County. Of significance, aggregate personal income grew at a faster rate than that of the 

State. The growth in personal income greatly exceeded that of population growth leading to a 

rise in per capita income of 44.1% for the period 1990-2001. Even though population and 

income growth rates exceeded that of the state, Marion County’s per capita income growth of 

44.1 % was below the State of Florida rise of nearly 47%. This indicates that Marion County is 

adding industries to its economic base that rival those added by the State. The 34.4% increase in 

employment in Marion County indicates that the county is adding slightly more labor-intensive 

jobs than the State of Florida, where wage and salary job growth increased by 31.9% over the 

period 1990-2001. In most cases, labor-intensive jobs (e.g., restaurants; amusements; health 

care) do not increase earnings as fast as capital-intensive jobs. Marion County has a greater 

concentration of employees in agriculture, healthcare, social assistance, and low skilled 

manufacturing than the State of Florida. Its three major employers are Emergency One, Inc., 

Closet Maid, and Singular Wireless who employ nearly 3,300 persons. Thus, earnings per job in 
 9

Marion County tend to be below the state average and are just keeping up with the state in terms 

of growth (Table 2.1). 

Table 2.1 

Growth of Selected Economic Indicators for Marion County, Florida 

Containing Two Priority Springs, 1990-2001

Economic Indicators 1990 2001 % Change 

Rank of Marion County 

among 67 Counties in 

Florida (2001) 

Population Growth 

 Marion County 194,833 264,277 35.6 18

 

 Florida 12,938,071 16,331,739 26.2 N/A

 

Aggregate Personal Income 

 Marion City (Thous $) $ 3,071,486 $ 6,003,254 95.5 19

 

 Florida (Thous $) $ 258,479,049 $ 467,188,758 80.7 N/A

 

Per Capita Income Growth 

 Marion County ($) $ 15,765 $ 22,716 44.1 34

 

 Florida ($) $ 19,832 $ 29,048 46.5 N/A

 

Wage & Salary Job Growth 

 Marion County 66,519 89,410 34.4 20

 

 Florida 5,802,287 7,655,940 31.9 N/A

 

Average Earnings per Job 

 Marion County ($) $ 18,571 26,261 41.4 40

 

 Florida ($) $ 22,879 32,643 42.7 N/A

Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003. 

 

 Marion County has been able to attract visitors from out of state despite not having any 

accommodations tax as a potential tourism revenue source. This is due largely to the fact that 

Interstate 75 provides for easy ingress and egress for visitors passing through the area on their 

way to popular Florida destinations. In 2002, out of state domestic visitors (U.S.) to Marion 

County were 1.1% of all the visitors to the State of Florida that was slightly under 70 million 

(Visit Florida, 2004, personal correspondence). Thus, three-quarters of a million domestic 

persons visited Marion County, with some stopping at the priority springs. Neither Canadians 
 10

nor overseas visitors are included in these numbers. Jobs in the visitor industry tend to represent 

low paying hourly positions. The skill demands are not great and there is a great deal of 

seasonal, of part-time work that generates relatively less earning per year. It would appear from 

Table 2.1 that Marion County is exceeding or paralleling the growth rate for many economic 

indicators when compared to the State of Florida. However, the county has failed to achieve 

parity for both personal per capita income and earnings per job. More will be said on this below. 

 In Table 2.2, we see a socioeconomic profile of Marion County. Such a profile may be 

useful in judging spring attendance figures in terms of those local residence using priority 

springs. In 2001, Marion County had a somewhat comparable unemployment rate to the state of 

less than 5%. Marion County had a lower participation rate or percent of the population that 

were gainfully employed (Marion at 64.3% compared to 73.9 % for the State). This condition 

appears where the population is of advanced age and/or there is a lot of disguised unemployment 

(i.e., people that wish to work, but because jobs are so scarce, they leave the labor force). The 

poverty rate was slightly higher than that for the state reflected in part by the relatively lower 

paying jobs in the county. Table 2.2 shows that the median age in Marion County is about 5 

years above the state, which is consistent with lower labor force participation and relatively low 

per capita income. Attendance at priority springs may be higher or lower depending on the kinds 

of recreation offered. Silver Glen Springs probably has more of an appeal to younger people 

with its raw terrain. Silver Springs, which is more of a theme park, might appeal to an older 

consumer. This county has a higher percentage of white population than exists statewide. 

Marion County has nearly 25% of its population over 65 years of age compared to the state 

average of nearly 18%. This reinforces our observations that Marion County is, in part, a 

retirement community. This county is ranked 14th in the state in terms of median age. 

 Additionally, we prepared a detailed comparison of the components of per capita income 

comparing Marion County to the State of Florida (Table 2.3). Because of the relatively low 

paying industrial base, dependence on tourism, and age structure of the population, Marion 

County has a per capita income over $6,000 below that of the State of Florida. Nearly 88% of 

this difference is due to low earnings per person in the county (Table 2.3). 
 11

Table 2.2 

 Socioeconomic Profile of Marion County, Florida 

Containing Two Priority Springs, 2001

County Profile Marion Florida 

Rank of Marion 

County Among 67 

Florida Counties 

Recorded Unemployment Rate (%) 

 4.9 4.8 29 

Labor Force Participation Rate (%) 

 64.3 73.9 38 

 

 

Poverty Rate (% of Population) 

 13.8 12.4 35 

 

 

Median Age (Years) 

 43.8 38.7 14 

 

 

Ethnicity (%) 

 White 84.2 77.8 29 

 Other 15.5 22.2 39 

 

65 year or Over (%) 24.6 17.5 14 

Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003.

Table 2.3 

Economic Characteristics of Marion County, Florida 

Containing Two Priority Springs, 2001

Economic Characteristics Marion Florida 

Difference 

Marion Vs Florida

Per Capita Income $22,910 $29,048 ($6,138) 

 Per Capita Earning 11,612 17,037 (5,425) 

 Per Capita Transfers 5,392 4,483 909 

 Income Maintenance 340 316 24 

 Unemployed Insurance 46 64 (18) 

 Retirement 5,005 4,103 902 

 Per Capita Dividends, Interest & 

Rents 5,907 7,526 (1,619) 

 Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003. 
 12

These low earnings stem from a labor-intensive base coupled with a lower participation rate (i.e., 

less people are gainfully employed from the population). Transfer payments to individuals such 

as retirement (e.g., social security) are positive, reflecting the age structure of Marion County’s 

population. We examined this retiree population in terms of its economic characteristics (Table 

2.3). In some Florida counties, people have migrated to the state with considerable assets in 

stocks, bonds, property, and cash. This is true of Lee and Collier Counties (i.e., cities of Naples 

and Ft. Myers). In the case of Marion County, the average individual receives about $1, 600 

below the state average in dividends, interest, and rent meaning that the retirement community is 

relatively non-affluent. Depending on the nature of the springs, they may appeal to individuals 

that are less affluent because admission costs are relatively low and the springs are located 

within close proximity to their homes. 

Tables 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 show a growing community measured by population and income 

that has an industrial base with a per capita income 22% below the state average. Part of this is 

due to the relatively low-income retirement community in the county. The tables provide an 

economic profile of the community in which the two priority springs are located. Little or 

nothing is really known about the demand structure for recreational activity at the springs and 

how altering the springs (i.e., lowering discharges) may influence the economics of the area. 

These are matters of immense importance, but are well beyond the scope of this report. 

2.2. Silver Glen Springs 

2.2.1. Description of Silver Glen Springs

 Silver Glen Springs is located near Astor in Marion County, in the Ocala National 

Forest, and flows into Lake George. Although owned by the U.S. National Park Service, 

private concessionaires operate Silver Glen Springs. The annual revenue collected by 

concessionaires in 2002 was approximately $155,000 as reported by the Park Service to 

Bonn Marketing, Inc. Recreational activities include swimming, hiking, and boating. 

The latter is not permitted in the springs’ pool, but it is acceptable in the springs run. 

There are many large fresh and saltwater fishes in both vents of the pool. This spring has 

a maximum depth of around 25 feet. Facilities include parking, bathrooms, picnic tables, 

and concessions. Only day visitors come to Silver Glen to avail themselves of its beauty 

and opportunity for outdoor recreation. 
 13

2.2.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance

 The researchers obtained annual and monthly attendance figures for Silver Glen 

Springs from the National Park Service for the period 1998-2002. In 2002, there were 

over 39,000 visitors to this priority spring. Over this five-year period, there did not 

appear to be any trend in annual attendance with highest attendance in 1999 (i.e., over 

40,000) and the lowest being in 1998 (i.e., slightly less than 36,000). The U.S. Forest 

Service pointed out that these figures only count those attendees coming to the area by 

land and, “... not the thousands and thousands on an annual basis that are in the run itself 

on boats” (Tooley, 2003). Thus, our use of attendance figures counted by the U.S. Forest 

Service is very conservative and is probably an understatement of actual usage of this 

spring. 

 Using the five years of monthly data supplied by the U.S. Forest Service, we were 

able to establish a fairly stable seasonal pattern of attendance from year to year. This was 

discussed in Chapter 1. Seasonality was measured by looking at the quarterly attendance 

pattern over the 1998-2002 period. Quarterly seasonality was selected since the economic 

survey data discussed later in this report was collect every 3 months running from the 3rd

quarter of 2003 to the 2nd quarter of 2004 as stipulated in the contract with SJRWMD. 

This was to enable SJRWMD to get the most recently available economic data on those 

using Silver Glen Springs for recreation. If no seasonal pattern existed, we would expect 

25% of the annual attendance during each quarter of the year. With the aid of 

spreadsheet analyses, the researchers were able to compute the average quarterly 

attendance expressed as percent of annual attendance (see Table 2.4 for details). 

Table 2.4 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Silver Glen Springs

Quarter Months Percent of Annual Attendance 

1st Jan-Mar 6.7% 

2nd Apr-June 44.3% 

3rd July-Sept 43.4% 

4th Oct-Dec 5.6%

Total 100.0% 

 
 14

Attendance peaks from the early spring to the early fall of each year with 85.7% 

of annual attendance occurring between April and September. Located in North Central 

Florida where the weather can be quite chilly during this period, it is clear that Silver 

Glen patrons may be impacted by the weather. As indicated in Chapter 1, most attendees 

to Silver Glen are not local residents of Marion County, but come from surrounding 

counties and from non-Florida domestic regions. MFLs must take into account the 

seasonality of springs public use when coming to any policy decision. For example, 

reductions in water levels and flows of springs may only impact ~12% of the attendees at 

Silver Glen Springs if the major impacts occur between October and March (Table 2.4). 

A refinement of seasonality may be calculated at the monthly level if needed using the 

data gathered by this research project. 

 Silver Glen Springs has the greatest economic impact to Marion County from 

April through September of each year. This extreme seasonality gives rise to highly used 

resources during part of the year and idle resources during the balance of each year. Such 

extreme seasonality usually creates only part time jobs since employers can only use 

employees for part of the year (i.e., April through September). Public infrastructure is 

also strained during only part of the year so there is reluctance by much of the local 

population to heavily invest in infrastructure (i.e., roads, bridges, sidewalks, etc.). 

2.2.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside Marion County - Spending, Wages and 

Employment Generated Quarterly and Annually

 As we have indicated in our discussion of the Marion County economy in the first 

part of this chapter, the economic growth of this region is largely determined by the 

growth in what are called “base” or export industries in the county. That is, dollars must 

be brought into the local economy in order for economic growth to occur. Silver Glen 

Springs is part of the economic base of Marion County since it draws visitors into the 

area who spend money locally. The initial round of spending is called the “direct 

economic impact” of such dollars on the local economy, which generates “direct” sales, 

wages, and employment. This is a typical “tourist effect” which is understood throughout 

Florida since the state itself as a region depends on export industries such as tourism. To 
 15

be an export industry, it is only necessary that dollars be brought into the local economy. 

Thus, priority springs are largely export industries since they bring non-county visitors to 

the area. Please note that the term “visitor” refers only to the attendance that comes from 

outside the county of interest. 

Because eight priority springs are being evaluated for four quarters with an annual 

summary, a large number of tables were prepared to illustrate the economic impact for all 

the springs. For each quarter, all parameters (e.g., expenditure per person, etc) necessary 

to calculate “direct spending” by visitors and the direct employment and wages generated 

by this spending were considered. The tables summarize exactly how the economic 

impacts were derived and identify which local industries benefit from this spending. For 

example, visitors may use local hotels and restaurants, as well as purchases from 

concessionaires at Silver Glen Springs. Because of this, it is important to provide a 

breakdown of total direct expenditures by spring visitors for industries in the area. To 

assist the reader’s understanding, we will review in detail the first quarter of economic 

analyses for Silver Glen Springs. For the remaining quarters and the annual summary for 

Silver Glen Springs, as well as for each additional spring analysis, a narrative of the 

economic impact will be provided and the supporting documentation (i.e., spreadsheets) 

placed in the appendices of the report for reference. 

 An estimate of the direct economic impact of visitor attendance to Silver Glen 

Springs is summarized in Table 2.5. This table was constructed from data collected from 

detailed on-site surveys of visitors. The economic impact tables are located in Appendix 

A while the survey instrument is located in Appendix C. The purpose of this random 

sample of visitors was to obtain quarterly data on direct spending by visitors to the 

springs, to derive annual economic data. 200 interviews were made during the 3rd quarter 

of 2003 (the first quarter of the study, Table 2.5). 
 16

Table 2.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

Economic Impact Annual 

 Annual Attend. 

in Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 39,235 0.43 0.71 11,809.7 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accommodation 

% 

Visitors 

by 

Accommodation

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 3% 295 3.8 3.8 

 

Friends and Family 17 9% 1,004 3.4 4.2 

 

Camping 0 0% 0 0.0 0.0 

Condominiums & Others 47 24% 2,775 3.4 2.4 

Day Visitors 131 66% 7,735 3.4 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 11,810 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $85.80 $22.58 

 

Friends and Family $41.18 $12.11 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $54.06 $15.90 

 

Day Visitors $37.13 $10.92 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $6,666.28 $1,596.79 0.56 

 

Friends and Family $12,158.12 $2,291.15 0.74 

 

Camping $0.00 $0 0 

 

Condominiums & Others $44,127.07 $6,841.29 2.19 

 

Day Visitors $84,474.86 $17,073.89 5.75 

 Total $147,426.34 $27,803.12 9.24 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 17

 As reported by the U.S. Forest Service, there were 39,235 total annual attendees 

at Silver Glen Springs of which approximately 43% of the annual attendance took place 

during the 3rd quarter of 2003 (Table 2.3). Based upon our survey of all attendees (i.e., 

visitors from outside and local residents), we estimated that about 71% of seasonal 

attendees came from outside Marion County. Combining these figures gives an estimate 

of ~12,000 visitors to Marion County during the 3rd quarter of 2003 (i.e., July – 

September). All such estimates are what statisticians call point estimates, and their 

precision (i.e., variance about the mean) depends on sample size. A sample of 200 

produces a +/- 10% error of estimate. 

 In Table 2.5, the sample of 200 visitors is broken down by accommodation mode 

such as hotels or camping sites. This identifies the facilities or infrastructure needed to 

handle the seasonal influx of visitors to Marion County produced by Silver Glen Springs. 

Over two-thirds of the visitors to the spring are day visitors. Because Silver Glen only 

permits day access, some of these visitors may stay over-night in a hotel or motel on their 

travels. The data indicated that ~3% of visitors actually stayed in paid lodgings (Table 

2.5). 

 The economic model used to make the calculations in Table 2.5 is quite simple. 

During the survey, visitors were asked their party size (SP) and how much money their 

party spent per day ($EPPD) while visiting Silver Glen. Day visitors had a Length of 

Stay (LS) of 1, while those staying in hotels and motels had a LS of 3.8 days. Earlier in 

this chapter, we discussed the economic structure of Marion County. Nearly 1.1% of the 

some 70 million visitors to Florida visited Marion County in 2002. Silver Glen Springs is 

undoubtedly part of the reason why these visitors came to Marion County, but there is a 

strong case for not attributing other days stayed in this county to the priority springs 

under study. 

 
 18

Thus, our economic model for obtaining total expenditures by accommodation mode is 

expressed as follows: 

 $S (i) = ($EPPDi / SPi)* V(i) Equation (1) 

where, $S (i) = Total Dollar Spending by ith mode; 

 $EPPDi = Expenditures per Party Day for ith mode; 

 SPi = Size of Party for ith mode; 

 Vi = Visitor Day for ith mode. 

The implementation of Equation (1) is shown in Table 2.5. For example, $EPPD 

for those using paid lodging was $85.80 per party day. The size of the party (SP) was 3.8 

with the corresponding $EPPED or expenditure per person day of $22.58 as shown at the 

bottom of Table 2.5. The number of visitor days (Vi) for those using paid lodging was 

295 (Table 2.5). When multiplied by $22.58, this yields a total spending for those using 

paid lodging ($Si) of $6,666. 

 Finally, we obtained data from the interviewees on their detailed expenditures 

leading to their total expenditures per party day of $85.80. This ranged from 

expenditures on lodging to local shopping are shown in detail by the survey instrument in 

Appendix B. We obtained data for Marion County on sales, wages, and employment 

from the U.S. Census (2000). For an industry like lodging in Marion County, we 

obtained the percent of sales going to wages plus the amount of sales that were generated 

per employee. Our estimate of spending for lodging, for example, was multiplied by the 

percent going to wages to obtain “wages generated.” Finally, the estimate of 

employment generated by Silver Glen Springs was obtained by dividing expenditure in 

the case of hotel and motels by the ratio of sales to employment in this industry for 

Marion County. All figures were adjusted by an inflation factor to 2003 dollars. This 

procedure was used for all eight priority springs. 

 Among all five accommodation modes (Table 2.5), we estimated that for the 3rd

quarter (July-Sept) of 2003, direct spending by Marion County visitors was ~$150,000, 

generating about $28,000 in wages and nearly 10 jobs. As we shall see later, sales and 

wages must be summed among quarters to obtain annual figures while employment is a 

stock variable and could be the same for each quarter depending on seasonality. The 
 19

annual rate of pay per employee is $12,000. The tourist sector is notorious for being low 

skilled, low waged and highly part-time, so this low annual pay per employee is not 

totally unexpected. 

 During the interview process, the daily 3rd Quarter 2003 spending per party 

connected with Silver Glen Springs was broken down into eight separate “spending 

sectors” (Table 2.6). The spending by sector, ranged from just under $50,000 on food 

and beverages (groceries) to a low of just under $1,000 on ground transportation. The 

light spending for ground transportation (i.e., gas stations) may be because day visitors 

from neighboring counties drive but a few miles to Silver Glen Springs in Marion 

County. 

The previous analysis for Silver Glen Springs, is an estimate of direct spending 

and wages and employment created by visitors to the area for the 3rd quarter where the 

seasonality for Silver Glen Springs is at it peak (Tables 2.4 and 2.5). As stated, half of 

the quarters show relatively few visitors due primarily to the weather. The reader is 

referred to Appendix A to view data and summary tables for the remaining three quarters 

for Silver Glen Springs. This procedure will be followed for all other springs. The report 

shall concentrate only on the annual impact of each spring to from here on. 

In terms of the economic impact, direct spending by springs visitors from outside 

the county plus the direct employment and wages created by this spending is presented. 

Money injected into a local economy will have a multiplier effect. For local economies 

such as Marion County, such multipliers are usually between 1.2 and 1.8. 

Quarterly and annual total spending, wages, and employment for Silver Glen 

Springs are summarized in Table 2.7. The detailed spreadsheets for deriving these data 

are in Table A.2.1 through Tables A.2.8 (Appendix A). Table 2.7 shows that visitors 

from outside Marion County spend approximately $350 thousand dollars annually as a 

result of Silver Glen Springs. This direct spending created approximately six jobs in the 

community and annual wages of nearly $67 thousand. Note that the quarter-to-quarter 

spending mirrors the seasonality for Silver Glen Springs (Tables 2.4 and 2.7). The 2nd

and 3rd quarters account for about 92% of all spending during the year (Table 2.7). 
 20

 Table 2.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $5,372 0.48 $1,332 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $28,401 3.34 $7,725 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $49,887 1.57 $4,988 

 

Admission Fees $32,839 2.66 $9,260 

 

Evening Entertainment $9,004 0.74 $2,539 

 

Ground Transportation $989 0.01 $52.00 

 

Shopping $9,994 0.21 $910 

 

All Other $10,951 0.23 $997 

 

All $147,437 9.24 $27,803 

Sources: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Research Group, Inc. On-Site Survey Data.

Table 2.7 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Silver Glen Springs on 

Marion County, Florida, 2003-2004 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $147.43 $10.69 $17.59 $173.06 $348.77 

 

Wages Created $27.80 $2.11 $3.31 $33.15 $66.37 

 

Employment Created* 9.24 0.70 1.12 11.47 5.63

 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $5.37 $0.29 $0.74 $10.32 $16.72 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $28.40 $1.95 $3.49 $41.79 $75.63 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $49.89 $3.38 $6.28 $64.85 $124.40 

 Admission Fees $32.84 $2.82 $3.71 $32.07 $71.44 

 Evening Entertainment $9.00 $0.90 $1.04 $7.91 $18.85 

 Ground Transportation $0.99 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.99 

 Shopping $10.00 $0.86 $1.02 $10.43 $22.31 

 Other $10.95 $0.48 $1.30 $5.69 $18.42 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

 ** Rounding errors may occur. 

 Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 
 21

2.2.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value

Silver Glen Springs charges attendees $3 per person day to visit the springs. The 

U.S. Forest Service does not manage the springs as a commercial enterprise, but regards 

the springs as “public goods” that are largely common property. A nominal fee to visit a 

spring is not used to measure the recreational value of such springs. Rather, the “use 

value” of such resources is measured by what the user would be willing to pay to access 

the spring above all cost incurred. “Use value” is usually measured by the “contingent 

value method.” Contingent valuation is a direct-questioning approach by which 

individuals are asked the value they place on an item or activity. To measure “use 

value,” we asked the following question: “If privately owned springs in this area were 

opened to the public on a limited access basis, how much would you be willing to spend 

on the entrance fee for each visit if you knew the money would go to the protection of 

those natural springs?” “Use value” applies to all users of the springs and not to just 

those coming from outside the county. Over the four quarters, 400 individual were asked 

this question that visited Silver Glen Springs. There was little variation from quarter to 

quarter with the arithmetic mean of the response ranging from $3.7 to $4.7 per person 

day (Appendix B). There was little statistical difference between these estimates and the 

average for the year was calculated to be $4.17 per person day. This figure represents the 

use value per day of seeing the springs and participating in all or one of the recreational 

opportunities available to attendees. Johns et al (2001) found that the “use value” for 

natural reef systems was $8.49 per person day in Southeast Florida. Another study 

documented the use value for artificial reefs in North Florida were $9.65 per day (Bell, 

Bonn and Leeworthy, 1998). 

“Use value” is used to identify the value lost due to environmental calamities such 

as oils spills, beach erosion, overfishing, reef destruction by boats, etc. It is not only used 

by the Federal government (e.g, USACE) to identify dollar value of damages, but would 

be used to measure any damages to springs resulting from the adoption of measures 

altering the levels and flows of water. The economic impact identifies who makes a 

living as a result of having the natural asset of springs in any areas. If springs did not 

exist, this money might be spent elsewhere. However, loss of springs due to a natural or 

man-made disaster would only be measured in terms of “use value.” 
 22

At Silver Glen Springs, there are 39,235 person days per year (Table 1.1). If the 

“use value” was $4.17 per day, then the absence of the springs would produce an annual 

loss of approximately $163, 610. Carried into perpetuity, this dollar loss would occur 

every year into infinity. Such future losses would be small when discounted back to the 

present. The final simple equation to estimate the “Asset Use Value” of the spring 

resource is: 

AUV = UV(t)/r Equation (2) 

where: AUV = the asset use value; 

 UV(t) = total “use value” lost in the first year; and 

 r = real discount rate. 

Most economists use a discount rate of 3% (Johns et al, 2001). Thus, dividing our annual 

use value of $163,610 by 0.03 yields an AUV of $5.45 million for Silver Glen Springs. 

2.2.5. Visitor Profile

 Visitor profile for Silver Glen Springs can be found in Appendices B and C. 

2.3. Silver Springs 

2.3.1. Description of Silver Springs

 The Silver Springs group flows from several vents and forms the headwaters of 

the Silver River, a major tributary of the Ocklawaha River. It is located near the city of 

Ocala in Marion County, Florida. The eastern portion of the main spring pool is deepest, 

being between 25 and 30 feet. Silver Springs as a group has the largest long term, 

measured average flow of any freshwater spring group in Florida and possibly in the 

United States. For many years, Silver Springs has been operated as a major tourist 

attraction. It is famous for its rides in glass bottom boats from which the several spring 

outlets and the associated aquatic life may be viewed through the remarkably clear water. 

In addition, visitors may take a ride in a jungle-cruise boat several miles down the Silver 

River and enjoy many other interesting attractions along the shores of the spring pool, 

including zoos, museums, gift shops, and various food service facilities. 
 23

 Today, visitors of all ages enjoy the 350-acre nature theme park at Silver Springs 

and the adjacent Wild Waters water park. During the yearly Concert Series, nationally 

known performers entertain visitors. Silver Springs is privately owned by Palace 

Entertainment which is the largest family amusement and water park operator in the U.S. 

with 37 parks and over 15 million attendees annually. Attendance figures for individual 

springs are regarded as proprietary information. However, BMRG learned from a very 

reliable source who was previously associated with this company (personal conversation 

with Dr. Bonn, anonymous source, 2003) that there are approximately 1,095,000 annual 

visitors to Silver Springs with about 70 percent (766,500) being from outside Marion 

County. 

2.3.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance 

 As discussed above, we estimated that over one million persons visit Silver 

Springs annually of which about 70% are from outside Marion County. This is a 

substantial operation in a county of only 250,000 residents. No observed monthly or 

quarterly data is available from the Silver Springs operation. However, since the Silver 

Springs operation is one of the largest visitor attractions in Central Florida, we used the 

seasonality factor for that region published by Shifflet (2003) (Table 2.8). 

Table 2.8 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Silver Springs

Quarter Months Percent of Annual Attendance 

1st Jan-Mar 25% 

2nd Apr-June 28% 

3rd July-Sept 27% 

4th Oct-Dec 20%

Total 100.0% 

The seasonal tourist peak for the Central Florida region is during the period April through 

September, which coincides roughly with children being out of school. The average age 

of adult travelers is 42 with 35% of all yearly travelers being families. The authors feel 

that these global figures on attendance and seasonality are reasonable estimates for Silver 
 24

Springs and will come very close to actual data that could be collected, if possible, from 

corporate authorities. 

2.3.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually

 On-site visitor surveying at Silver Springs was not permitted by Palace 

Entertainment because of the company’s proprietary stance on data collected on its 

operations. Therefore, the research team obtained limited information on Silver Springs 

visitors using a database from a study of visitors to Tampa, Florida conducted by Bonn 

Marketing Research Group, Inc. (2003) whom indicated they had visited Silver Springs 

as a part of their overall travel experience to Tampa. This database provided initial 

information pertaining to visitor spending in the Marion County area but should be 

considered conservative in its use until on-site data collection at Silver Springs becomes 

possible. 

The quarterly economic analyses for Silver Springs (3rd quarter of 2003 to the 2nd

quarter of 2004) are summarized in Tables A.2.1 to A.2.8 (Appendix A). Table A.2.1 

summarizes estimated direct spending by visitors to Silver Springs during the 3rd quarter 

2003. A total of 181 individuals visited Marion County during their visit to Tampa in the 

3rd quarter of 2003 (Table A.2.1). About 30% of these visitors stayed in hotels and 

motels while in the county and spent over $320 per party day. According to Equation 

(1)(Section 2.2.3), only the spending per person day was included, which in the case of 

the hotel/motel room group was a little over $90. We only counted the average spending 

on the day the visitor toured Silver Springs, while the individual/party may have spent 5-

9 days in Florida. In 2002, the general admission for a party to Silver Springs was about 

$32 per day that included many discounts, such as for senior citizens (55+) and small 

children. Party size was about 3.5 persons, so average entrance fee per person may 

approach $9. For hotel/motel users, spring entrance fees may be as little as 10% of total 

spending per person day. However, a careful breakdown of admission fees from other 

expenses in Table A.2.2 (Appendix A) indicated that they may run up to 24% of total 

spending. Admission fees to the Silver Springs concert series held at the facility may run 

considerably higher since major national singing artist are featured. 
 25

 During the 3rd quarter of 2003, it was estimated that visitors to Silver Springs 

from outside the county spent $17.4 million which generated nearly 1,200 jobs and $3.5 

million dollars in wages paid. Measured by spending, Silver Springs was the largest 

visitor attraction among the eight priority springs studied. The highest spending quarter 

was the 1st quarter of 2004 at $18.7 million dollars, which tends to seasonally attract outof-state domestic and international visitors. For the four quarters under study, visitors 

from outside Marion County spent over $61.4 million connected with Silver Springs 

which generated over 1,060 jobs and $12.6 million in wages (Table 2.9). 

Table 2.9 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors to Silver Springs on 

Marion County, Florida, 2003-2004

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quart 

Economic Indicators ( Mil $) ( Mil $) (Mil $) (Mil $) ( Mil $) 

 

Direct Spending $17.39 $14.86 $18.71 $10.49 $61.45 

 

Wages Created $3.50 $3.08 $3.79 $2.24 $12.61 

 

Employment Created* 1,177 1,027 1,293 745 1,060.5

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $2.05 $1.54 $4.07 $1.01 $8.67 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $3.93 $3.30 $3.73 $2.36 $13.32 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $0.74 $0.63 $0.89 $0.68 $2.94 

 Admission Fees $4.24 $4.15 $3.79 $3.58 $15.76 

 Evening Entertainment $0.61 $0.65 $0.54 $0.12 $1.92 

 Ground Transportation $1.33 $1.01 $1.58 $0.41 $4.33 

 Shopping $3.51 $2.91 $3.10 $1.88 $11.40 

 Other $0.98 $0.67 $1.01 $0.46 $3.12 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

** Rounding errors may occur. 

 Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Tampa Bay Visitor Study, 2003 

2.3.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value 

 The natural value of the springs and the recreation associated with the use of the 

springs has consumer use value. However, for Silver Springs, which is privately 

operated, no use value exists, as it does for springs that are administered by a Federal or 

state agency as a common property or public good for all citizens to use. 
 26

2.3.5. Visitor Profile

Visitor profiles for Silver Springs can be found in Appendix B and Appendix D. 

Please note that much of the visitor information was not accessible, since on-site 

surveying at Silver Springs was not permitted. 
 27

CHAPTER 3 

LAKE COUNTY, FLORIDA: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF 

ALEXANDER SPRINGS, APOPKA SPRING AND BUGG SPRING 

3.1. An Economic Profile of Lake County, Florida 

 Lake County is located in the northern part of Central Florida and contains three priority 

springs: Alexander, Apopka, and Bugg Spring. Alexander Springs is located in the Ocala 

National Forest and is owned and operated by the U.S. Federal Government. Apopka Spring is 

part of Lake Apopka and is owned by the State of Florida. Bugg Spring is owned by the Federal 

government and private individuals participate in its ownership. Further details will be discussed 

below. 

 Table 3.1 shows the growth in major economic indicators for Lake County over the 

period 1990-2001 for which the latest data are available from the U.S. Department of Commerce 

(2003). In terms of population growth, Lake County has increased 45 percent from 1990 to –

2001, which was about double that for the State of Florida. This rapid growth in this county is 

exerting pressure on the springs and other natural resources. In 2001, somewhat less than onequarter of a million people lived in Lake County ranking it 21st out of 67 in the State of Florida 

in population growth. Because of the rapid growth in population, Lake County’s personal 

income grew much faster than that of the State (Table 3.1). However, Lake County’s per capita 

income of $24,418 lagged behind the State of Florida average of $29,048 in 2001 (84% of the 

State’s average). Per capita income is widely used by economists to measure the level of 

affluence in an area. Job growth in Lake County, although substantial, has not kept up with the 

State of Florida average (Table 3.1). This growth is largely a function of the economic base of 

the county (i.e., the kind of industries in the county). However, the growth of earnings per job in 

Lake County has slightly exceeded that of the State. This implies a subtle shift in the economic 

base toward industries with higher earning potential. In 2001, Lake County’s industrial base was 

concentrated in agriculture, construction, healthcare, and social assistance. Agriculture was 

prominent in the early development of the county while construction reflects the tremendous 

population growth experienced during the last decade. Florida Trend (April, 2004) indicated 

that Lake County is experiencing an explosion in healthcare businesses, including hospital 

campuses, physician’s offices, medical equipment distributions, and other related services. 
 28

Healthcare institutions such as Leesburg Regional Medical Center and Florida HospitalWaterman employ nearly 3,000 people of the over 80,000 individual employed in Lake County 

(Table 3.1). The large number of retirees in Lake County dictates an ever-increasing demand for 

medical services. 

 Table 3.1: 

Growth of Selected Economic Indicators for Lake County, Florida 

 Containing Three Priority Springs, 1990-2001 

 Rank of Lake County

 Among 67 Counties 

Economic Indicators 1990 2001 % Change in Florida (2001) 

Population Growth 

 Lake County 153,468 223,610 45.7 21

 

 Florida 12,938,071 16,331,739 26.2 N/A

 

Aggregate Personal Income 

 Lake City (Thous $) 2,662,110 5,460,200 105.1 21

 

 Florida (Thous $) 258,479,049 467,188,758 80.7 N/A

 

Per Capita Income Growth 

 Lake County ($) 17,346 24,418 40.8 26

 

 Florida ($) 19,832 29,048 46.5 N/A

 

Wage & Salary Job Growth 

 Lake County 50,468 81,675 61.8 23

 

 Florida 5,802,287 7,655,940 31.9 N/A

 

Average Earnings per Job 

 Lake County ($) 17,490 25,616 46.5 42

 

 Florida ($) 22,879 32,643 42.7 N/A

 Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003. 

 Tables 3.2 and 3.3 show a socioeconomic profile of Lake County that may help us further 

understand the economic role of the priority springs. In 2001, Lake County’s unemployment rate 

was more than one percentage point below that of Florida as a whole. This was one of the lowest 

in the state ranking 48th out of 67 counties in terms of low unemployment. This tight labor 

market was induced by the rapid migration of people into the county. Despite the large number 
 29

of retirees, the participation rate is exceedingly high (Table 3.2). This implies that “retirees” are 

re-entering the labor force for additional income. The fact that the per capita income is lower 

than the state average supports this thesis. Yet, the poverty rate is below the State average 

indicating that per capita income is not too low. The median age for Lake County is well above 

the state average (45.1 vs. 37.3 years) reflecting the fact that many older individuals that are a 

part of the labor force. Note that the percent of the labor force 65 years and older is nearly twice 

that of the State of Florida, which is known for its elderly population as a whole. 

 The reason for Lake County having a lower per capita income is explained in Table 3.3. 

In 2001, there was a $4,628 difference in the per capita income between the State of Florida and 

Lake County mostly caused by low per capita “earnings.” “Income” to individuals is composed 

of earnings, transfer payments (e.g., social security) and income from investments (e.g., stocks 

and bonds). Because of the higher percentage of the population 65 and older, transfer payments 

such as private and public retirement helped offset the low per capita earnings to the tune of 

$1,151 (Table 3.3). Investment income brought into Lake County, although lower than the state 

average, provided additional offset to the lower per capita income. The Lake County economy 

has a higher percent of the population working in relatively lower skilled jobs just to keep their 

per capita income within 80-90% of that received in Florida. Usually, such counties have a 

lower participation rate since retirees bring more money in from capital investments. A good 

illustration is Lee (Ft. Myers) and Collier (Naples) counties in Southwest Florida. 

Finally, little is known about the demand structure for outdoor recreational activity. 

However, it would appear that in Lake County, many in the population choose work over leisure 

recreation activities, in order to raise per capita income levels. 
 30

Table 3.2 

 Socioeconomic Profile of Lake County, Florida 

Containing Three Priority Springs, 2001

County Profile Lake County Florida 

Rank of Lake 

County Among 67 

Florida Counties 

Recorded Unemployment Rate (%) 

 3.7 4.8 48 

Labor Force Participation Rate (%) 

 75.8 73.9 12 

 

 

Poverty Rate (% of Population) 

 10.8 12.4 48 

 

 

Median Age (Years) 

 45.1 38.7 11 

 

 

Ethnicity (%) 

 White 87.5 77.8 16 

 Other 12.5 22.2 N/A 

 

65 year or Over (%) 29.0 17.5 10 

Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003.

Table 3.3 

Economic Characteristics of Lake County, Florida 

Containing Three Priority Springs, 2001

Economic Characteristics Lake Florida 

Difference 

Lake Vs Florida 

Per Capita Income $24,418 $29,048 ($4,628) 

 Per Capita Earning 11,424 17,037 (5,613) 

 Per Capita Transfers 5,634 4,483 1,151 

 Income Maintenance 253 316 (63) 

 Unemployed Insurance 42 64 (22) 

 Retirement 5,337 4,103 1,234 

 Per Capita Dividends, Interest & 

Rents 7,360 7,526 (166) 

Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003.
 31

3.2. Alexander Springs 

3.2.1. Description of Springs

Alexander Springs is located in the Ocala National Forest near Astor Park. The 

springs issue vertically from a conical depression with a large spring pool with a depth of 

about 25 feet. The water is clear and sky-blue with a large boil on the pool surface over 

the vent. The pool discharges directly to a run about 150 ft wide that flows northwest a 

short distance, then curves north and eastward to the St. Johns River. Recreational 

activities at Alexander Springs include camping, swimming, scuba diving, hiking, 

fishing, bicycling, and canoeing. The U.S. National Park Service owns these springs. 

Private concessionaires are employed to provide for the springs users and their associated 

recreation. In 2002, the fee to enter these springs was $3 per person with an additional 

camping fee. Alexander Springs is unique in having two primary users: “day visitors” 

who leave when the springs close at 8p.m. and campers who average 2-day visits. 

3.2.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance: 

 We obtained monthly attendance data from the U.S. Forest Service for the period 

1998-2002 for day users and campers. For day users, annual attendance increased from 

50, 416 in 1998 to 55,819 in 2002. However, the number of campers declined over he 

same period from 27,074 in 1998 to 21,414 in 2002. The U.S. Forest Service was unable 

to provide a reason for these trends. 

 As in the case of Silver Glen Springs, the seasonality was quite pronounced. The 

quarterly attendance data provided by the U.S. Forest Service for the period 1998-2002 

was analyzed to show seasonal trends (Table 3.4). 

 Day visitors to Alexander Springs exhibited about the same seasonal pattern as 

that for Silver Glen. Attendance is greatest between April and September of each year. 

For day visitors, 77% of the demand is concentrated in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the 

year. It is quite obvious that the factors governing seasonal demand for day visitors at 

Silver Glen and Alexander Springs are the same since they are only miles apart and 

provide generally the same services. We hypothesized that such seasonality was 

prompted by warm weather, children being out of school and normal vacations taken 

during the summer months. 
 32

Table 3.4 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Silver Glen Springs 

Quarter Months Percent of Annual Attendance 

 Day Visitors Campers 

1st Jan-Mar 15% 31% 

2nd Apr-June 41% 31% 

3rd July-Sept 37% 17% 

4th Oct-Dec 7% 21%

Total 100.0% 100.0%

 In the case of campers, the seasonality is quite different (Table 3.4). The first two 

quarters of the year are identical in terms of seasonal demand running from January 

through June as shown above. About 83% of the annual camper demand at Alexander 

Springs takes place during the cooler months of the year when maximum daily 

temperatures are more favorable to outdoor living. In addition, camping attendance may 

be influenced by general tourism to the State of Florida where the first quarter is the peak 

as people travel to Florida seeking a break from winter conditions in more northern 

states. 

3.2.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually

 As with the other priority springs, information from surveyed springs visitors was 

combined with attendance data to derive estimates of spending, wages, and employment 

generated by them. Tables A.3.1 to A.3.8 (Appendix A) contain the worksheets for the 

four quarters of the year beginning in the 3rd quarter of 2003 and ending with the 2nd

quarter of 2004. Day attendance at Alexander Spring is about 40-50% greater than at 

Silver Glen Spring, also owned by the U.S. Forest Service. The economic analysis for 

the 3rd quarter of 2003 is summarized in Table A.3.1 (Appendix A). Table A.3.1 shows 

that for our sample of 55 campers that the average stay was 2.47 days. The number of 

camping days per party averaged about 2.5 days for all four quarters. Based upon the 
 33

U.S. Forest Service advice, and our desire to be conservative whenever dealing with 

dollar estimates, we elected to use 2 days per camper. This doubles the economic impact 

of camper attendance estimates since the U.S. Park Service reports only the number of 

campers and not camper days. 

 Table 3.5 shows a summary of the economic impact for all four quarters and 

annual totals for Alexander Springs. These figures show the combined spending of both 

day visitors and campers. Spending averaged about $194,000 per quarter, more than 

double that estimated for Silver Glen Springs just to the north. Annually, visitors from 

outside Lake County spent approximately $775,000 that supported about $170,000 in 

wages and created approximately 15 jobs. This spending would include items and 

services in Lake County, as well as goods and services bought through concessionaires at 

the springs. 

 Tables A.3.2 - A.3.8 (Appendix A) show the spending by quarters broken down 

by kinds of goods and services purchased. Admission fees represented one of the largest 

expenditures made by visitors from outside Lake County. In 2002, admission to 

Alexander Springs was $3 per day per person with camping being extra. Camping is the 

main form of “recreation.” Extra charges for camping may have elevated “admission 

fees” to one of the largest expenditure item shown in Table 3.5. 
 34

Table 3.5 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors 

to Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida, 2003-2004 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $211.55 $115.81 $192.47 $255.69 $775.52 

 

Wages Created $45.14 $26.21 $43.14 $55.75 $170.24 

 

Employment Created* 14.47 8.19 13.58 18.16 13.60

 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $21.99 $24.04 $36.39 $39.26 $121.68 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $30.67 $15.55 $26.89 $42.43 $115.54 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $52.86 $28.01 $47.17 $78.63 $206.67 

 Admission Fees $56.43 $26.31 $44.24 $64.33 $191.31 

 Evening Entertainment $19.28 $10.13 $17.34 $13.53 $60.28 

 Ground Transportation $5.53 $2.46 $3.85 $2.23 $14.07 

 Shopping $21.53 $7.04 $12.77 $11.39 $52.73 

 Other $3.27 $2.26 $3.82 $3.89 $13.24 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

 ** Rounding errors may occur. 

Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 

3.2.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value 

 For Alexander Springs, the respondents’ willingness to pay for the use of the 

resource which reflects the value of recreation. In contrast to Silver Springs, Alexander 

Springs is really a common property resource administered for the public use by the 

Federal Government. A minimum charge of only $3 per day for admission to Alexander 

Springs reflects this. By quarter, people attending this priority springs were willing to 

pay the following for use of the resource as determined by our contingent valuation 

survey (Table 3.6). 

Use value per day does not vary much among quarters and, with a sample of 400 

observations, was not statistically different. Using $4.58 per day for use value, the 

annual average for Alexander Springs, the asset value of the resource can be estimated. 

Total user days for 2002 were 55,819 for day visitors plus two times the number of 
 35

Table 3.6 

Use Value for Alexander Springs

Quarter Months Willingness to Pay 

1st Jan-Mar $4.67 

2nd Apr-June $4.54 

3rd July-Sept $4.31 

4th Oct-Dec $4.80

Annual Average $4.58 

 campers (21,414) for a total of 98,646 days. This figure represents residents and 

visitors from outside Lake County, since use value is created for all visitors. The annual 

average ($4.58) multiplied by total use days (98,646) give an annual use value of $4.5 

million. Without any change in future annual flow, we need only divide by the real 

discount rate of 3%, which yields a spring resource worth of approximately $150 million. 

If use value fell by 10%, for example, due to pollution or a reduction in flow, then the 

resource value would be reduced by $15 million. This is how the use value of Alexander 

Springs can be used in assessing environmental damages. This is an illustration of how 

the Federal Government and the court system are estimating environmental damages. 

Thus, such use value numbers are useful for policy decisions made by the Florida Water 

Management Districts. 

3.2.5. Visitor Profile

 The visitor profile for Alexander Springs can be found in Appendices B and E. 

3.3. Apopka Spring 

3.3.1. Description of the Spring

 Apopka Spring, also known a Gourd Neck Spring, is located near Clermont in 

Lake County. This spring flows eastward down a run about 200 feet to the “gourd neck,” 

a narrow arm of Lake Apopka. The spring pool is roughly circular, between 100 and 200 

feet in diameter. Spring discharge is from a single submerged oval-shaped opening in the 

bottom of the central part of the pool. The pool has a depth of about 35-40 feet. Title to 
 36

Apopka Spring is held by the State of Florida as part of its Land Trust Fund. There are 

no official estimates of how many people use Apopka Spring for recreation. 

3.3.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance

 Observers at various springs place attendance very low relative to other more 

majestic springs in Central Florida. Apopka Spring is very near Alexander Springs and is 

considered by some as a small Alexander Spring without the upkeep furnished by the 

U.S. Forest Service. The Lake County Water Authority compares Apopka Spring to 

Gemini Springs in neighboring Volusia County, and estimates that annual attendance at 

Apopka Spring is not more than 10% of annual attendance at Gemini Springs (Roff, 

2004). In 2002, Gemini Springs reported an attendance of 57,755 according to the 

officials in Volusia County officials. Therefore, the estimate of annual attendance for 

Apopka Spring is 5,767 or 10% of Gemini attendance. If further evidence indicates that 

actual attendance is higher or lower, the economic model has been constructed so that the 

economic impact estimates from this report for Apopka Spring can be determined by 

increasing or decreasing the spending, wages, or employment by this percentage. 

 Tourism research experts feel that Apopka Spring would appeal to day visitors 

using Alexander Springs due to their close proximity (BMRG, 2004). The seasonality 

figures from Alexander Springs (Table 1.2) were used to make estimates of seasonal 

spending for Apopka Spring. 

 

3.3.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside Lake County - Spending, Wages and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually

 Appendix A (Tables A.4.1-A.4.8) contains the analyses concerning the economic 

impact of Apopka Spring for the 3rd quarter 2003 to 2nd quarter 2004. Estimates indicate 

that spending per quarter connected with Apopka Spring range from $4-$10 thousand 

dollars and generate little wages and employment. Data on spending were collected 

directly from those using Apopka Spring. 
 37

Table 3.7 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors 

to Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida, 2003-2004 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $8.87 $1.93 $5.04 $4.49 $28.52 

 

Wages Created $1.87 $0.39 $1.07 $0.90 $5.94 

 

Employment Created* 0.65 0.15 0.35 0.31 0.52 

 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $1.93 $0.32 $1.48 $1.02 $6.10 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $2.29 $0.56 $0.85 $0.90 $7.03 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $2.99 $0.69 $1.79 $1.63 $10.08 

 Admission Fees $0.29 $0.12 $0.11 $0.11 $1.14 

 Evening Entertainment $0.77 $0.10 $0.49 $0.36 $2.17 

 Ground Transportation $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 

 Shopping $0.59 $0.13 $0.25 $0.33 $1.85 

 Other $0.00 $0.00 $0.09 $0.15 $0.24 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

 ** Rounding errors may occur. 

Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 

 Over the year, Apopka Spring generated nearly $29 thousand in spending, $6 

thousand dollars in wages, and about 4 jobs (Table 3.7). These estimates could change 

greatly with a better estimate of total attendance. All these estimates are adjusted to 

account for just visitors from outside Lake County and assume that 72% of total users 

were from outside Lake County. 

3.3.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use of Value 

 As with other priority springs, respondents were asked to answer a contingency 

valuation question to estimate use value. For Apopka Spring, use values by quarter were 

estimated (Table 3.8). 
 38

Table 3.8 

Use Value for Apopka Spring

Quarter Months Willingness to Pay 

1st Jan-Mar $4.27 

2nd Apr-June $4.32 

3rd July-Sept $4.13 

4th Oct-Dec $5.30

Annual Average $4.51 

 As with the other priority springs, there was little variation in the estimate of use 

value per day from quarter to quarter with the average being $4.51 per day. Including 

residents, Apopka Spring has only 5,776 per days per year. When multiplied by the use 

value per day the annual flow is $26,050 per year. Dividing this rate by the real discount 

rate of 3%, the asset value for Apopka Spring was derived as $868,000. Since Gourd 

Neck is part of the State of Florida land preservation fund, it could be listed as this figure 

in present use. Conversion of this land to other uses could increase or decrease the asset 

value of this spring’s resource. 

3.3.5. Visitor Profile

 Visitor profiles for Apopka Spring can be found in Appendix B and F. 

3.4. Bugg Spring2

 

3.4.1. Description of Spring

Bugg Spring is located near Okahumpka in Lake County, Florida. This spring is 

in the Ocklawaha River Basin. According to the Lake County Water Authority, Bugg 

Spring has always been a highly desired acquisition. However, the property surrounding 

the springs is privately owned and under a long-term lease to the U.S. Navy. Bugg 

Spring is classified as a potentially developable area for recreation. Little is known 

about how many people presently use these springs. If sold to Lake County, authorities 

estimate that attendance might be about 5% of Gemini Springs (Roff, 2004). 

 

2 Bugg Spring is currently under a lease agreement with the U. S. Navy. There is no official data available 

on recreational use of the springs.
 39

3.4.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance

If developed by Lake County, it is estimated that Bugg Spring might have an 

annual attendance of about 2,900 individuals or 5% of Gemini Springs nearly 58,000 

attendance. Because no data exists on seasonality of spring use for Bugg Spring, the 

seasonality pattern for day visitors in Alexander Springs was applied to Bugg Spring. 

3.4.3. The Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County- Spending; Wages and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually

 Presently, there is no economic activity associated with Bugg Spring. There is 

only economic potential associated with the development of this area. Accordingly, the 

spending by party day, by mode, and by kinds of goods and services estimated for 

Apopka Spring were applied to Bugg Spring to provide spending estimates. The results 

are presented by quarter in Tables A.5.1 through A.5.8 (Appendix A). A summary of 

these calculations is given in Table 3.9. As Table 3.5 shows spending by a rather small 

attendance will generate from $1.00 to $5.38 thousand per quarter. Annual spending will 

be about $12 thousand with $2.42 thousand in wages and 0.21 jobs created. 
 40

Table 3.9 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors 

to Bugg Spring on Lake County, Florida, 2003-2004 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $3.69 $1.00 $2.08 $5.38 $11.66 

 

Wages Created $0.78 $0.21 $0.45 $1.08 $2.42 

Employment Created* 0.27 0.07 0.14 0.36 0.21 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $0.81 $0.21 $0.59 $1.15 $2.65 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $0.95 $0.28 $0.35 $1.12 $2.56 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $1.25 $0.34 $0.74 $1.94 $4.11 

 Admission Fees $0.12 $0.06 $0.04 $0.13 $0.32 

 Evening Entertainment $0.32 $0.05 $0.21 $0.46 $1.01 

 Ground Transportation $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 

 Shopping $0.24 $0.06 $0.11 $0.38 $0.76 

 Other $0.00 $0.00 $0.03 $0.18 $0.21 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

 ** Rounding errors may occur. 

Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 

3.4.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value of Springs 

At present, Bugg Spring is not owned by a public entity. We have no knowledge 

of individuals using the spring for recreational purposes. As with Silver Springs, we 

regard Bugg Spring as privately owned, therefore, use value does not exist. 

3.4.5. Visitor Profile

Visitor profiles for Bugg Spring are not available due to its private ownership, and 

on-site survey was not allowed in the Bugg Spring. 
 41

CHAPTER 4 

VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF 

PONCE DE LEON SPRINGS, GEMINI SPRINGS, AND GREEN SPRINGS

4.1. Economic Profile of Volusia County, Florida 

 Volusia County is located in Northeast Florida along the Atlantic Ocean. This county 

contains three priority springs: Ponce de Leon, Gemini and Green. Ponce de Leon Springs is 

located at or near DeLand, Florida. This priority spring is owned and operated by the State of 

Florida and is called “De Leon Springs” by those in the state park system. Gemini Springs, near 

Enterprise, Florida, is owned and operated by Volusia County. Green Springs, near DeBary, 

Florida, is owned by Volusia County and has only passive recreation such as picnicking, hiking, 

and bird watching. 

 Table 4.1 shows the growth in major economic indicators for Volusia County over the 

period 1990-2001 (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2003). In terms of population growth, 

Volusia County has increased by about 21 percent from 1990 to 2001, which is about 80% of the 

population growth rate for the State of Florida. This relatively slow growing county is probably 

reaching the limit of some of its resources. The county is ranked 14th in the State of Florida in 

population density with 416 persons per square mile (University of Florida, 2003). In 2001, 

somewhat more than 450 million people lived in Volusia County (University of Florida, 2003). 

Out of the 67 counties in Florida, Volusia County ranked 10th in the State of Florida in terms of 

population size. Because of the relatively slow growth in population, Volusia County’s 

aggregate personal income grew much slower than that of the State (Table 2.1). Volusia 

County’s per capita income of $23,832 still lagged behind the State of Florida average of 

$29,048 in 2001 (82% of the State average). This percentage has not changed appreciably since 

1990. Per capita income is widely used by economists to measure the level of affluence in an 

area. Volusia County has not been gaining in terms of its relative per capita income when 

compared to the State of Florida average. This is generally indicative of a low paying industrial 

base. 

 Although significant, job growth in Volusia County has not kept up with the State of 

Florida average (Table 4.1). Such growth is largely a function of the economic base of the 
 42

county (i.e., the kind of industries in the county). An important component of per capita income, 

the growth of earnings per job in Volusia County, has been about the same as that of the State. 

This implies there has been no appreciable shift in the economic base toward industries with 

higher earning potential. In 2001, Volusia County’s industrial base was concentrated in health 

care and social assistance, tourism and other services. Halifax Fish Community Health System, 

for example, employs nearly 4,500 persons (Enterprise Florida, 2003). Daytona Beach and other 

beaches in Volusia County attract tourist such as “spring breakers” and “sports racing 

enthusiasts.” Florida Trend (April, 2004) indicates that Volusia County is engaged in a five-year 

plan to bring health care and medical products companies to the area. The large number of 

retirees in Volusia County dictates an ever-increasing demand for medical services. 

Table 4.1 

Growth of Selected Economic Indicators for Volusia County, Florida 

Containing Three Priority Springs, 1990-2001

1990 2001 % Change 

Rank of Marion County 

among 67 Counties in 

Florida (2001) 

Population Growth 

 Volusia County 374,200 451,641 20.7 10

 

 Florida 12,938,071 16,331,739 26.2 N/A

Aggregate Personal Income 

 Volusia City (Thous $) $ 6,219,227 $ 10,763,331 73.1 14

 

 Florida (Thous $) $ 258,479,049 $ 467,188,758 80.7 N/A

Per Capita Income Growth 

 Volusia County ($) $ 16,620 $ 23,832 43.1 31

 

 Florida ($) $ 19,832 $ 29,048 46.5 N/A

Wage & Salary Job Growth 

 Volusia County 129,660 155,505 19.9 12

 

 Florida 5,802,287 7,655,940 31.9 N/A

Average Earnings per Job 

 Volusia County ($) $ 19,583 27,796 41.9 34

 

 Florida ($) $ 22,879 32,643 42.7 N/A

 Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003. 

 

Table 4.2 shows the socioeconomic profile of Volusia County which may help us further 

understand the economic role of the priority springs. In 2001, Volusia County’s unemployment 
 43

rate was somewhat below that of Florida as a whole. This relatively tight labor market was 

induced by the rapid migration of people into the county from out-of-state but also from other 

congested counties in the State of Florida. As a result of having a high percentage of retirees, the 

participation rate is exceedingly low (Table 4.2). This implies that many “retirees” are not reentering the labor force. The median age for Volusia County (42.4 years) is well above the state 

average (37.3 years) reflecting the fact that Volusia County has a lot of older individuals. The 

prominence of the retirement community is shown in the percent of the population 65 years and 

older (Table 4.2). Volusia County has nearly 22% of their population in this category compared 

to only 17.5% for the State of Florida. 

 The reason Volusia County has a lower per capita income than the State of Florida is 

explained in the bottom of Table 4.3. In 2001, there was a $5,215 difference in the per capita 

income between the State of Florida and Volusia County mostly caused by low per capita 

“earnings.” “Income” to individuals is composed of earnings transfer payments (e.g. social 

security) and income from investments (e.g. stocks and bonds). Because of the higher percentage 

of the population 65 and older, transfer payments such as private and public retirement helped 

offset the low per capita earnings by $651 (Table 4.3). Investment income, although lower than 

the state average brought into Volusia County, provided additional offset to the lower per capita 

income. The Volusia County economy has a higher percent of the population working in 

relatively lower skilled jobs keeping the per capita income within 80-90% of that received in 

Florida. Usually, such counties have a lower participation rate since retirees bring more money 

in from capital investments. Volusia County depends on a low paying economic base for income 

and relatively less on income from capital assets such as stocks and bonds which is balanced out 

by transfer payments (e.g., retirement income). 

Finally, little is known about the demand structure for outdoor recreational activity. 

However, it appears that in Volusia County, many of the population choose leisure over work. 

The high dependence of the County’s economic base on tourism would emphasize the use of 

springs as a form of outdoor recreation. 
 44

Table 4.2 

 Socioeconomic Profile of Volusia County, Florida 

Containing Three Priority Springs, 2001

County Profile Volusia Florida 

Rank of Volusia 

County Among 67 

Florida Counties 

Recorded Unemployment Rate (%) 

 4.3 4.8 37 

Labor Force Participation Rate (%) 

 63.6 73.9 40 

 

 

Poverty Rate (% of Population) 

 11.5 12.4 44 

 

 

Median Age (Years) 

 42.4 38.7 18 

 

 

Ethnicity (%) 

 White 86.0 77.8 25 

 Other 14.0 22.2 N/A 

 

65 year or Over (%) 21.9 17.5 19 

Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003.

Table 4.3 

Economic Characteristics of Volusia County, Florida 

Containing Three Priority Springs, 2001

Economic Characteristics Volusia Florida 

Difference 

Volusia Vs Florida

Per Capita Income $23,832 $29,048 ($5,215) 

 Per Capita Earning 11,841 17,037 (5,196) 

 Per Capita Transfers 5,134 4,483 651 

 Income Maintenance 279 316 (37) 

 Unemployed Insurance 52 64 (12) 

 Retirement 4,803 4,103 700 

 Per Capita Dividends, Interest & 

Rents 6,856 7,526 (670) 

 Source: Regional Economic Information System, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CD Rom-2003. 
 45

4.2. Ponce de Leon Springs 

4.2.1. Description of the Springs

 Ponce de Leon Springs is about 7 miles north of DeLand, Florida. The springs 

area is semicircular in shape and is about 170 feet in diameter. The depth of the pool 

ranges from about 29 feet to approximately 41 feet. These springs are a State of Florida 

park that is operated by an independent contractor. Activities at Ponce de Leon Springs 

include swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, canoeing, paddleboat rentals and scuba 

diving (with special permission). As in contrast with Alexander Springs discussed in 

Chapter 3, no camping is allowed in or near Ponce de Leon Springs. The listed acreage 

for Ponce de Leon Springs State Park is 592 acres. 

4.2.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance

 We obtained annual and seasonal attendance data from the Office of Park 

Planning, State of Florida for the period 1990-2002. This was the longest time series we 

were able to get among the eight priority springs under study. Annual attendance at 

Ponce de Leon Springs for selected intervals showed in Table 4.4. 

Table 4.4 

Annual Attendance Trend 1990-2002, 

Ponce de Leon Springs 

Year Annual Attendance

1990 193,858 

1992 213,482 

1994 209,714 

1996 209, 563 

1998 221,085 

2000 255,154 

2002 258,474 

 

Over the 1990-2002 period, attendance increased by 64,616 individuals, reflecting 

an increase of 33%. With rather finite resources at the springs, the attendance growth rate 

may not be sustained. Using spreadsheet analyses, we analyzed the seasonal pattern of 
 46

individuals attending the park for 13 years of data and found the following seasonal 

pattern in Table 4.5. 

Table 4.5 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Ponce de Leon Springs 

Quarter Months Percent of Annual Attendance 

1st Jan-Mar 21% 

2nd Apr-June 33% 

3rd July-Sept 34% 

4th Oct-Dec 12%

Total 100.0% 

These seasonality factors were highly consistent throughout the 1990-2002 period 

(i.e., year to year variations in percentages were nominal and any outliers were eliminated 

from the statistical analyses). The pattern is familiar in that the peak of spring attendance 

is from April through September. That is, 67% of annual attendance is accounted for by 

these six months of the year. In contrast, the seasonal peak for South and part of Central 

Florida (e.g., Tampa) is in the first quarter of the year. It appears that seasonal peaks in 

the case of springs may be based upon children being out of school with families visiting 

on normally planned vacations during summer periods. Also, visitors to Ponce de Leon 

Springs come not only from out of state, but also from surrounding Florida counties, 

which further influences the seasonal analyses. Note that Volusia County is one of the 

first counties encountered when entering Florida via I-95 on the east coast, and 

consequently it is also one of the last counties encountered as visitors leave Florida via 

this venue. Therefore, we would expect visitors from outside Florida to be well 

represented among the users of Ponce de Leon Springs. 

4.2.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages, and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually 

 The individual quarters along with associated economic indicators are included in 

Appendix A, Tables A.6.1 through Tables A.6.8. The economic impact of direct 

spending by visitors from outside Volusia County varies from a high of approximately 
 47

$795 thousand in the 3rd period of 2003 to a low of $263 thousand in the 4th quarter of the 

same year (Table 4.6). This spending follows the seasonal pattern discussed above, 

where the 3rd quarter has the highest attendance while the 4th quarter has the lowest 

attendance. For the entire year, spending reached $2.18 million generating $425 

thousand in wages and salaries and approximately 36 full and part time jobs. Of the eight 

priority springs, Ponce de Leon Springs was found to have received the second most 

spending from visitors from outside the county. 

Table 4.6 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors 

to Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida, 2003-2004 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $794.89 $263.05 $494.47 $633.03 $2,185.44 

 

Wages Created $155.94 $51.55 $97.06 $121.05 $425.60 

 

Employment Created* 52.41 18.16 33.18 40.70 36.11

 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $103.53 $25.56 $71.68 $62.70 $263.47 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $222.02 $91.77 $144.08 $142.49 $600.36 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $137.06 $45.85 $94.75 $116.98 $394.64 

 Admission Fees $67.95 $23.41 $40.25 $51.08 $182.69 

 Evening Entertainment $137.39 $27.29 $70.17 $76.18 $311.03 

 Ground Transportation $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 

 Shopping $106.62 $41.36 $59.23 $58.70 $265.91 

 Other $20.32 $7.81 $14.31 $19.38 $61.82 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

 ** Rounding errors may occur. 

Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 

4.2.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value 

 Entrance fees to de Leon Springs are only $4 per car having up to eight people. 

The resource is really owned by the State of Florida and can be regarded as a common 

property resource similar to bass in a lake or beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, 

both residents of Volusia County and those coming to Ponce de Leon Springs from 
 48

outside the county derive use value from the resource. With our contingent value 

question, for the 400 people sampled over the four quarters, the average use value was 

$4.37 per day with a high of $4.74 in the 3rd quarter of 2003 and a low of $3.60 in the 4th

quarter of the same year. Multiplying the annual attendance of 259,000 by the average 

use value of $4.37, we obtain an annual aggregate flow of recreational value at $1.13 

million. If this flow continued into the future, we would be able to derive that asset value 

of the natural resources at the springs by dividing by an interest rate of 3%. This would 

amount to $37.7 million. The reader should note that the $37.7 million is the asset value 

of the land, water and general springs when used for recreational purposes. This analysis 

does not address the issue of alternative uses such as residential development, etc. 

4.2.5. Visitor Profile

The Visitor profile for Ponce de Leon Springs can be found in Appendices B and 

G. 

4.3. Gemini Springs: 

4.3.1. Description of Springs

 The 210 acres Gemini Springs was purchased in 1994 through the combined 

effort of Volusia County, the Trust for Public Lands and the St. Johns River Water 

Management District. Approximately 6.5 million gallons of water bubble up from 

Gemini’s two springs each day. Gemini Springs is located between the town of 

Enterprise and the city of DeBary. Many types of wildlife and vegetation can be observed 

at Gemini Springs. Biking, canoeing and picnicking are the recreational activities of 

choice since swimming is presently not permitted (i.e., see below for a further discussion 

of swimming) and fishing is allowed only from the docks. 

4.3.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance

 Gemini Springs has only been a recreationally active spring for a few years. Data 

on attendance were obtained from Leisure Services, Volusia County from 1998-2002. In 

1998, over 100,000 persons visited Gemini Springs, but since then there was a decided 

decline in estimated attendance to only 57,755 individuals. Officials at Leisure Services 
 49

indicated that the reason for the declining attendance is because the swimming area was 

closed since June 8, 2001 due to high bacteria levels. Numerous actions have been taken 

to improve the water quality, but no long term solution has been achieved. Officials from 

Volusia County provided their estimate of seasonal attendance at Gemini Springs with 

the following seasonal pattern observed in Table 4.7. 

Table 4.7 

Annual Attendance Estimation for Gemini Springs

Quarter Months Percent of Annual Attendance 

1st Jan-Mar 19.7% 

2nd Apr-June 39.7% 

3rd July-Sept 23.9% 

4th Oct-Dec 16.7%

Total 100.0% 

This seasonal attendance follows the familiar pattern of the other springs in that 

nearly 64% of annual demand takes place during the second two quarters of the year. It 

is consistent with our hypotheses that spring’s seasonality is governed by traditional 

vacations in the summer with children being out of school. 

4.3.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending; Wages and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually:

 Gemini Springs exhibited a peak in spending in 2nd quarter of 2004 by out of 

county visitors of over $156 thousand which coincides with peak seasonal attendance 

(Table 4.8). The lowest spending during the last 12 months was in the 4th quarter of 2003 

with reported spending at just a little under $50 thousand. This also coincides with the 

pattern of annual attendance. Direct spending by people connected with Gemini springs 

from outside Volusia County on an annual basis was estimated at about $333 thousand 

dollars. This generated wages and salaries of about $69 thousand and approximately 7 

full and part time jobs in Volusia County. When swimming recreation returns to Gemini 

Springs, it is expected that attendance will return to the level of annual visitation as 

reported for 1998. 
 50

Table 4.8 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors 

to Gemini Springs on Volusia County, Florida, 2003-2004 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $70.44 $47.36 $58.33 $156.74 $332.87 

 

Wages Created $13.50 $9.54 $12.25 $33.62 $68.91 

Employment Created* 4.63 3.39 4.37 12.65 6.26 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $8.89 $2.86 $5.61 $14.93 $32.29 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $21.15 $18.39 $23.54 $76.00 $139.08 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $10.26 $6.38 $5.12 $18.30 $40.06 

 Admission Fees $7.89 $5.65 $6.65 $12.38 $32.57 

 Evening Entertainment $6.12 $5.00 $6.95 $11.07 $29.14 

 Ground Transportation $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 

 Shopping $12.95 $7.02 $6.79 $15.50 $42.26 

 Other $3.17 $2.06 $3.67 $8.56 $17.46 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

 ** Rounding errors may occur. 

Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 

4.3.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value 

 Over the four quarters under study, 400 individuals were surveyed about their 

willingness to pay for recreation at Gemini Springs. The admission fee to Gemini 

Springs is $3.50 per vehicle carrying up to 8 people or about $.45 per person day. 

 Willingness to pay for recreation at Gemini Springs varied from $5.58 per person 

day in the 3rd quarter of 2003 to as little as $4.20 in the 4th quarter of 2004. The average 

use value for the 400 Gemini Springs users surveyed was $4.68. When multiplied by the 

2002 annual attendance of 57,755, we obtained an annual aggregate use value of a little 

over $270,000 per year. If this flow of use value was uninterrupted over time, then the 

asset value of Gemini Springs would be about $9 million. 

4.3.5. Visitor Profile

 A visitor profile for Gemini Springs can be found in Appendices B and H. 
 51

4.4. Green Springs 

4.4.1. Description of the Spring

 Green Springs is near Osteen. Volusia County owns the property and is now in 

the design stage of this project. Construction started this year to improve the site which 

will be geared to such passive recreational activities as walking/hiking trails and 

picnicking areas. It will also serve as a trailhead for an upcoming rail to trails project 

adjacent to the site. Swimming will not be allowed. The site is much smaller than 

Gemini Springs and, according to Volusia County Leisure Services, Green Springs will 

never lend itself to a large number of visitors. Currently, it is not very accessible to the 

public according to the Director of Leisure Services for Volusia County (Apgar, 2003). 

Green Springs has no recreational value at this time although people are free to use the 

springs providing they can get there. 

4.4.2. Annual and Seasonal Attendance 

 Green Springs will be treated the same way as Apopka Spring and Buggs Spring. 

In these cases, they were posed as developing springs with minimum attendance today. 

Our discussion above on Green Springs indicated it will only attract a fraction of the 

attendance of Gemini Springs when fully developed. To estimate future economic 

development at Green Springs attendance was assumed to be 25% of that now existing at 

Gemini Springs. We also assume that this attendance will occur sometime after the 

renovation. Using our 25% rule, estimated annual attendance would be 14,439 (i.e., 25% 

of 57,755 for Gemini) in 2005 or sometime later. 

 With respect to seasonality, Green Springs is expected to be similar to Gemini 

Springs catering to more visitors during the middle six months of the year, which has 

been a recurring theme for springs. 

4.4.3. Economic Impact of Visitors from Outside the County – Spending, Wages, and 

Employment Generated by Quarter and Annually 

 Based on an attendance of a little under 15,000 per year and the same seasonality 

and economic parameters from Gemini Springs (e.g., spending per person per day), 
 52

spending by people from outside Volusia County is estimated at nearly $38 thousand in 

the 2nd quarter of 2005 or 2006 when Green Springs is properly improved and advertised 

as available to the public. As expected, this high in spending among quarters of the year 

is dictated by the seasonality factor where nearly 40% of annual demand takes place in 

the 2nd quarter shown in Table 4.9. Almost $12 thousand is expected to be spent in the 

depressed seasonality of the 4th quarter by the out of county visitors. Annual spending at 

Green Springs is projected at a little over $81 thousand. On an annual basis, the spending 

generates a little under $17 thousand in wages and salaries supporting 2 full and part time 

jobs. The nature and size of Green Springs makes Leisure Services officials doubtful that 

this area will ever reach the attendance now present at nearby Gemini Springs. 

Table 4.9 

Quarterly and Annual Economic Impact of Out of County Visitors 

to Green Spring, Volusia County, Florida 

 2003 2003 2004 2004 Annual 

 3rd 4th 1st 2nd (03-04) 

 July-Sept Oct-Dec Jan-Mar Apr-June 4 Quarters 

Economic Indicators (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) (Thous $) 

 

Direct Spending $17.60 $11.83 $14.58 $37.54 $81.55 

 

Wages Created $3.37 $2.38 $3.06 $8.06 $16.87 

 

Employment Created* 1.16 0.85 1.09 3.03 1.53

 

Components of Spending** 

 Lodging $2.22 $0.71 $1.40 $3.61 $7.94 

 Food & Beverages (Restaurant) $5.29 $4.60 $5.88 $18.16 $33.93 

 Food & Beverages (Groceries) $2.57 $1.60 $1.28 $4.20 $9.65 

 Admission Fees $1.97 $1.41 $1.66 $3.01 $8.05 

 Evening Entertainment $1.53 $1.25 $1.74 $2.69 $7.21 

 Ground Transportation $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 

 Shopping $3.24 $1.75 $1.70 $3.78 $10.47 

 Other $0.78 $0.51 $0.92 $2.09 $4.30 

* Full and Part time Jobs, in units, not in thousands. 

** Rounding errors may occur. 

 Source: Quarterly detail shown in Appendix A; Survey by Bonn Marketing, Inc. 

4.4.4. Recreational and Aesthetic Use Value 

 Based upon the correspondence with Leisure Services in Volusia County, few if 

any people presently use Green Springs for recreation. There are no barriers to enter 
 53

Green Springs so some individuals probably go there and derive some recreational use 

value from this area. Because of the sparse attendance and the early stage of 

development, it is not worth the effort to get data on willingness to pay or use value of 

Green Springs. Since the present use value per person day of Green Springs is not known 

and attendance is but conjecture, we were unable to measure the aggregate recreational 

flow and/or the asset value of this area. 

4.4.5. Visitor Profile

A visitor profile for Green Springs cannot be obtained due to its early 

development stage, and no recreational activities in the springs are available yet. 
 54

CHAPTER 5 

SUMMARY 

During 2003-2004, nearly 2,300 visitors to selected priority springs were interviewed in 

order to better understand the economic value natural springs have to local economies and the 

importance these natural resources have to the quality of life of Florida residents and nonresidents. Study results indicated that the eight priority springs generated an economic impact of 

over $65 million. Silver Springs, which has a large theme park in conjunction with the natural 

springs environment, accounted for 94% of this total economic impact. Non-county visitation to 

these eight springs was estimated at 1.85 million and attendance varied considerably due to 

ownership (private vs. public) and level of on-site development (i.e., infrastructure). The most 

heavily visited spring studied in this project was Silver Springs, which had an estimated 767,200 

non-county visitors annually, representing 71% of the total. Bugg Spring, a privately owned 

spring, was estimated to attract 1,756 non-county visitors annually. This represented the lowest 

number of non-county springs visitors among the study sample. The study documented that 

over $13 million in wages and 1,123 jobs were generated by visitor spending. Visitor spending 

by category indicated “Admissions” ($16.24 million), “Restaurants” ($14.29 million), 

“Shopping” ($11.80 million) and “Lodging” ($9.12 million) accounted for approximately 85% of 

all visitor spending (Tables 5.1 and 5.2). 

 Study results of 2,298 interviewed visitors to selected priority springs suggested the 

following representative market profile (Table 5.3). The most prevalent springs visitor was a 

married (76.6%), Caucasian (80.9%) female (57.5%), having some college education or a college 

degree (43.6%), living in a household earning between $50,000 - $79,999 annually (39.5%). 

 The most prevalent springs visitor spent an average of $64.96 per party per day, spent 1.4 

days visiting the springs with 3.5 persons per party. An interesting finding was that 63% of each 

party was represented by non-county residents, suggesting that locals often have a very high 

level of influence upon visitors and their decision to visit springs. This was further substantiated 

by documenting that 18.8% of springs visitors heard about those springs from friends and family. 

Also, 45.8% of all respondents indicated they would likely return to the springs within the next 

six months. Over 72% of all respondents were identified as repeat springs visitors. 

 Overall, respondents indicated their main purposes for visiting the springs were to “enjoy 

the outdoors” (60.7%) and to “spend time with family” (23.2%). “Picnicking” (62.2%), 
 55

“swimming” (38.2%), “viewing wildlife” (20.9%), “fishing” (18.2%) and “boating” (17.4%) 

represented the top five visitor activities associated with spring visits. 

By far, the typical springs visitor was a Florida resident (66.8%) living in those counties 

where the springs were located. Non-Florida residents represented 38 different states with New 

York (3.8%), Pennsylvania (2.6%), Michigan (2.0%), Massachusetts (1.9%), and Ohio (1.6%) 

accounting for the greatest numbers of non-Florida U.S. residents (Table 5.3). International 

visitors accounted for 5.1% of all total visitors (Table 5.3). 

In order to evaluate overall visitor satisfaction with the springs experience, respondents 

were asked to indicate on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent, how satisfied 

they were with their visit. Overall, springs visitors rated their experience as a 4.22 indicating a 

high level of satisfaction. 

 An important part of this study was to obtain information about willingness to pay for 

an opportunity to access privately owned natural springs. Individuals were asked how much they 

were willing to spend on the entrance fee for each visit to privately owned natural springs if they 

knew the money would be used to protect those natural springs. Results indicated that on 

average, individuals would be willing to pay $4.50 to enter privately owned springs currently 

with no public access. This has far reaching implications for potential public-private 

management scenarios in Florida. 
 56

Table 5.1 

 Total Economic Impact for Eight Priority Springs

 Total Visitor Spending 

(in thousands) 

Wages 

(in thousands) Employment 

Marion County 

 Silver Glen Springs 27,471 348.76 66.37 5.63

 

 Silver Springs 767,200 61,460.00 12,610.00 1,060.50

Lake County 

 Alexander Springs 52,519 775.52 170.24 13.60

 

 Apopka Spring 4,064 28.62 5.94 0.52

 

 Bugg Spring 1,756 11.68 2.42 0.21

Volusia County 

 Ponce de Leon Springs 186,480 2,079.92 100.88 35.00

 

 Gemini Springs 36,964 332.87 68.91 6.26

 

 Green Springs 9,241 81.55 16.87 1.53

 

Total 1,085,695 $65,118.92 $13,041.63 1,123.25
 57

Table 5.2 Visitor Spending Categories for Eight Priority Springs 

(in thousands) 

 Lodging Restaurant Groceries Admission

Evening 

Entertainment

Ground Transportation Shopping Other Total 

Marion County  Silver Glen Springs $16.72 $75.63 $124.40 $71.44 $18.85 $0.99 $22.31 $18.42 $348.76 Silver Springs 8,670.00 13,320.00 2,940.00 15,760.00 1,920.00 4,330.00 11,400.00 3,120.00 61,460.00Lake County  Alexander Springs 121.68 115.54 206.67 191.31 60.28 14.07 52.73 13.24 775.52 Apopka Spring 6.10 7.03 10.08 1.14 2.17 0.00 1.85 0.24 28.61 Bugg Spring 2.65 2.56 4.11 0.32 1.01 0.00 0.76 0.21 11.62Volusia County  Ponce de Leon Springs 263.47 600.36 394.64 182.69 311.03 0.00 265.91 61.82 2,079.92 Gemini Springs 32.29 139.08 40.06 32.57 29.14 0.00 42.26 17.46 332.86 Green Springs 7.94 33.93 9.65 8.05 7.32 0.00 10.47 4.30 81.66Total $9,120.85 $14,294.13 $3,729.61 $16,247.52 $2,349.80 $4,345.06 $11,796.29 $3,235.69 $65,118.95
Overall Visitor Profile for Eight Priority Springs TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size =2298

 58

Table 5.3 

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $64.96 1.4 3.5 2.2 33.1% 45.8% 13.7% 7.5% Yes 27.5% No 72.5% 

Top Visitor County OriginFlorida Resident 66.8%  Volusia 17.7  Lake 15.8  Marion 14.4  Seminole 3.5  Polk 3.1 Non Florida Resident – U.S. 28.1%  New York 3.8  Pennsylvania 2.6  Michigan 2.0  Massachusetts 1.9  Ohio 1.6 Non Florida Resident – International 5.1%Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 60.7% Spending time with family 23.2 Enjoy the wildlife 8.8 Entertaining guests 7.3 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 68.9% Family/Friends 18.8 Internet 6.7 Brochure 5.8 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 43.6% Male 42.5% Married 76.6% Caucasian 80.9% Under $20,000 4.4% Post Graduate Degree 14.3 Female 57.5 Single 18.4 Hispanic 5.6 $20,000-$49,999 26.2 High School Graduate 11.5 Divorced/Widowed 3.7 African-American 12.0 $50,000-$79,999 39.5 Technical School 26.2 No Answer 1.3 Other 1.5 $80,000 or More 14.8 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Restaurants $14.89 

Admission Fees 12.92 

Groceries 9.64 Shopping 8.99 Lodging 8.79 Evening Entertainment 4.14 Ground Transportation 2.81 Other Items 2.78 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $64.96 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 62.2% Swimming 38.2 View Wildlife 20.9 Fishing 18.2 Boating 17.4 Photography 12.8 Water Sports 9.0 Snorkeling 8.5 Scuba Diving 6.0 

Archeology 3.1 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 70.8% Locally 23.6 Another County 5.6 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 68.1% Hotel/Motel 4.9 Private Home 9.9 Other 6.8 Campground 10.3 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.22Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.52 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.50 
 59

REFERENCES 

Apgar, William (2003). Director, Volusia County Leisure Services Department, personal 

conversation. 

Bell, Frederick, Mark A. Bonn, and V. R. Leeworthy (1998). Economic Impact and Importance 

of Artificial Reefs in Northwest Florida. Office of Fisheries Management and Assistance 

Service, Florida Department of Environmental Administration. Contract Number MR235, 1998. 

Bonn Marketing Research Group, Inc. (2003). 2003 Annual Visitor’s Study for 

Tampa/Hillsborough County. Prepared for Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc., 

2003. 

Bonn, Mark A. and Fredrick W. Bell (2003). Economic Impact of Selected Florida Springs and 

Surrounding Local Areas. FDEP, Division of Springs, Florida Springs Task Force. Technical 

Report. 

Bonn, Mark A. and Fredrick W. Bell (2002). Economic Development Potential Through 2015 

for the Suwannee River Counties in Florida. 

Enterprise Florida, Inc. (2003). Volusia County Profile, 2003. 

Florida Trend (2004). Economic Yearbook 2004, (April). 

Johns, Grace, Robert Leeworthy, F. W. Bell, and M. A. Bonn (2001). Socioeconomic Study of 

Reefs in Southeast Florida, Final Report. Sponsored by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 

Commission. NOAA and the Florida Counties of Miami-Dade; Palm Beach; Broward and 

Monroe. 

Roff, R. (2004). Lake County Water Authority, Senior Environmental Specialist. Personal 

conversation. 

Shifflet, D.K. and Associates (2003). Visit Florida Annual Report 2003. 

Tooley, Patricia (2003). Personal correspondence on September 19,2003. Lake George Ranger 

District, U.S. Forest Service. 

University of Florida (2003). 2003 Florida Statistical Abstract, Gainesville, Florida, 2003. 

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Information System, CD Rom-2003. 
 60

APPENDICES 

APPENDIX A: QUARTERLY VISITOR ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR EIGHT 

PRIORITY SPRINGS 

APPENDIX B: QUARTERLY VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX C: SILVER GLEN SPRINGS VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX D: SILVER SPRINGS VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX E: ALEXANDER SPRINGS VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX F: APOPKA SPRING VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX G: PONCE DE LEON SPRINGS VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX H: GEMINI SPRINGS VISITOR PROFILE 

APPENDIX I: FLORIDA SPRINGS SURVEY INSTRUMENT 
 61

Appendix A: Quarterly Visitor Economic Impact for Eight Priority Springs 

Table A.1.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 39,235 0.43 0.7 11,809.7 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 3% 295 3.8 3.8 

 

Friends and Family 17 9% 1,004 3.4 4.2 

 

Camping 0 0% 0 0.0 0.0 

Condominiums & Others 47 24% 2,775 3.4 2.4 

Day Visitors 131 66% 7,735 3.4 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 11,810 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $85.80 $22.58 

 

Friends and Family $41.18 $12.11 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $54.06 $15.90 

 

Day Visitors $37.13 $10.92 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $6,666.28 $1,596.79 0.56 

 

Friends and Family $12,158.12 $2,291.15 0.74 

 

Camping $0.00 $0 0 

 

Condominiums & Others $44,127.07 $6,841.29 2.19 

 

Day Visitors $84,474.86 $17,073.89 5.75 

 Total $147,426.34 $27,803.12 9.24 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 62

 

 

 Table A.1.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

3rd Quarter(July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $5,372 0.48 $1,332 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $28,401 3.34 $7,725 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $49,887 1.57 $4,988 

 

Admission Fees $32,839 2.66 $9,260 

 

Evening Entertainment $9,004 0.74 $2,539 

 

Ground Transportation $989 0.01 $52.00 

 

Shopping $9,994 0.21 $910 

 

All Other $10,951 0.23 $997 

 

All $147,437 9.24 $27,803 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 63

Table A.1.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 39,235 0.06 0.4 641.6 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 2 2% 19 4.0 3.0 

 

Friends and Family 5 5% 47 4.0 3.8 

 

Camping 0 0% 0 0.0 0.0 

Condominiums & Others 18 18% 169 3.5 2.7 

Day Visitors 75 75% 706 3.5 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 942 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $89.50 $22.38 

 

Friends and Family $30.40 $7.60 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $35.50 $10.14 

 

Day Visitors $40.25 $11.60 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $421.88 $95.07 0.03 

 

Friends and Family $357.82 $79.43 0.03 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $1,719.17 $336.45 0.11 

 

Day Visitors $8,191.86 $1,599.44 0.53 

 Total $10,690.23 $2,110.39 0.70 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 64

 

 Table A.1.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $285 0.03 $71 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $1,948 0.23 $530 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $3,383 0.11 $338 

 

Admission Fees $2,821 0.23 $796 

 

Evening Entertainment $898 0.07 $253 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $865 0.02 $79 

 

All Other $486 0.01 $44 

 

All $10,686 0.70 $2,111 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 65

Table A.1.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 39,235 0.07 0.5 1,373.2 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 3 3% 41 4.0 2.0 

 

Friends and Family 7 7% 96 4.0 3.3 

Camping 0 0% 0 0.0 0.0 

Condominiums & Others 15 15% 206 3.1 2.5 

Day Visitors 75 75% 1,030 3.4 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 1,373 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $118.66 $29.67 

 

Friends and Family $23.86 $5.97 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $53.07 $17.29 

 

Day Visitors $40.50 $11.88 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $1,222.10 $276.14 0.10 

 

Friends and Family $573.39 $118.58 0.04 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $3,560.77 $590.98 0.19 

 

Day Visitors $12,232.17 $2,326.42 0.79 

 Total $17,588.43 $3,312.12 1.12 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 66

 Table A.1.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $743 0.07 $184 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $3,491 0.41 $949 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $6,276 0.20 $628 

 

Admission Fees $3,709 0.30 $1,046 

 

Evening Entertainment $1,043 0.09 $294 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $1,022 0.02 $93 

 

All Other $1,304 0.03 $118 

 

All $17,588 1.12 $3,312 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 67

Table A.1.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 39,235 0.44 0.7 12,084.4 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 483 4.0 2.5 

 

Friends and Family 10 10% 1,208 4.3 3.0 

Camping 0 0% 0 0.0 0.0 

Condominiums & Others 22 22% 2,659 3.1 2.6 

Day Visitors 64 64% 7,734 3.4 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 12,084 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $120.50 $30.13 

 

Friends and Family $37.70 $8.77 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $68.36 $22.41 

 

Day Visitors $37.13 $10.79 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $16,041.50 $4,005.39 1.47 

 

Friends and Family $10,591.07 $2,408.36 0.83 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $59,596.47 $10,741.63 3.81 

 

Day Visitors $86,827.64 $15,997.37 5.36 

 Total $173,056.68 $33,152.75 11.47 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 68

 Table A.1.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Glen Springs, Marion County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $10,320 0.92 $2,559 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) 41,793 4.91 $11,368 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $64,852 2.00 $6,485 

 

Admission Fees $32,072 2.62 $9,044 

 

Evening Entertainment $7,908 0.65 $2,230 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $10,425 0.21 $949 

 

All Other $5,687 0.12 $518 

 

All $173,057 11.43 $33,153 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 69

Table A.2.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 1,096,000 0.27 0.7 207,144.0 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 54 30% 61,800 3.56 4.81 

 

Friends and Family 52 29% 59,511 2.38 9.00 

Camping 2 1% 2,289 3.50 5.50 

Condominiums & Others 10 6% 11,444 3.70 6.78 

Day Visitors 63 35% 72,100 3.40 1.00 

 Total 181 100% 207,144 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $320.74 $90.10 

 

Friends and Family $259.81 $109.16 

 

Camping $236.50 $67.57 

 

Condominiums & Others $212.30 $57.38 

 

Day Visitors $212.79 $62.59 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment 

Spending 

(Mil) 

Wages 

(Mil) Employment 

Hotel and Motels $5.57 $1.22 416 

 

Friends and Family $6.49 $1.14 390 

 

Camping $0.16 $0.04 12 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.67 $0.15 49 

 

Day Visitors $4.51 $0.96 310 

 Total $17.40 $3.51 1,177 

Source: D.K. Shifflet and Associates; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 70

 Table A.2.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $2,054,959 184 $509,629 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $3,929,551 462 $1,068,838 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $740,297 24 $74,029 

 

Admission Fees $4,235,826 346 $1,194,503 

 

Evening Entertainment $610,688 49 $172,214 

 

Ground Transportation $1,329,062 20 $69,111 

 

Shopping $3,509,718 72 $319,384 

 

All Other $977,711 20 $88,972 

 

All $17,387,812 1,177 $3,496,680 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 71

Table A.2.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 1,096,000 0.2 0.7 153,440.0 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 20 23% 34,873 3.2 5.1 

 

Friends and Family 13 15% 22,667 2.2 5.7 

Camping 2 2% 3,487 3.5 5.5 

Condominiums & Others 8 9% 13,949 3.6 3.9 

Day Visitors 45 51% 78,464 2.8 1.0 

 Total 88 100% 153,440 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $319.25 $99.77 

 

Friends and Family $395.54 $183.97 

 

Camping $236.50 $67.57 

 

Condominiums & Others $172.63 $47.56 

 

Day Visitors $224.74 $80.26 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment 

Spending 

(Mil) 

Wages 

(Mil) Employment 

Hotel and Motels $3.48 $0.76 259 

 

Friends and Family $4.17 $0.68 233 

 

Camping $0.24 $0.06 19 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.67 $0.16 53 

 

Day Visitors $6.30 $1.42 463 

 Total $14.86 $3.08 1,027 

Source: D.K. Shifflet and Associates; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 72

 Table A.2.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,536,972 138 $381,169 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $3,302,731 388 $898,343 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $625,316 20 $62,532 

 

Admission Fees $4,152,264 339 $1,170,938 

 

Evening Entertainment $646,674 53 $182,362 

 

Ground Transportation $1,006,428 15 $52,334 

 

Shopping $2,905,081 60 $264,362 

 

All Other $670,599 14 $61,025 

 

All $14,846,065 1,027 $3,073,065 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 73

Table A.2.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 1,096,000 0.25 0.7 191,800.0 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 12 17% 32,417 2.8 2.0 

 

Friends and Family 7 10% 18,910 4.4 5.0 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 29 41% 78,341 2.7 6.9 

Day Visitors 23 32% 62,132 3.5 1.0 

 Total 71 100% 191,800 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $392.66 $138.75 

 

Friends and Family $244.15 $55.11 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $286.24 $107.61 

 

Day Visitors $265.29 $76.23 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment 

Spending 

(Mil) 

Wages 

(Mil) Employment 

Hotel and Motels $4.50 $0.82 271 

 

Friends and Family $1.04 $0.15 49 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $8.43 $1.90 657 

 

Day Visitors $4.74 $0.92 316 

 Total $18.71 $3.79 1,293 

Source: D.K. Shifflet and Associates; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 74

 Table A.2.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $4,067,718 365 $1,008,794 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $3,733,354 439 $1,015,472 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $889,107 28 $88,910 

 

Admission Fees $3,786,706 309 $1,067,851 

 

Evening Entertainment $535,470 44 $151,003 

 

Ground Transportation $1,582,331 24 $82,281 

 

Shopping $3,100,238 64 $282,122 

 

All Other $1,011,782 21 $92,072 

 

All $18,706,706 1,294 $3,788,505 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 75

Table A.2.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Marion 1,096,000 0.27 0.7 207,144.0 

Visitors from Outside Marion 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 7 15% 31,522 3.05 2 

 

Friends and Family 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 27 59% 121,585 3 4 

Day Visitors 12 26% 54,038 3.17 1 

 Total 46 100% 207,144 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $173.72 $56.96 

 

Friends and Family $0.00 $0.00 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $135.66 $45.22 

 

Day Visitors $136.42 $43.03 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment 

Spending 

(Mil) 

Wages 

(Mil) Employment 

Hotel and Motels $2.67 $0.47 154 

 

Friends and Family $0.00 $0.00 0 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 0 

 

Condominiums & Others $5.50 $1.23 413 

Day Visitors $2.32 $0.54 178 

 Total $10.49 $2.24 745 

Source: D.K. Shifflet and Associates; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 76

 Table A.2.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Silver Springs, Marion County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,009,105 90 $250,258 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $2,360,234 277 $641,984 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $677,935 22 $67,793 

 

Admission Fees $3,579,262 292 $1,009,352 

 

Evening Entertainment $116,747 10 $32,923 

 

Ground Transportation $408,750 6 $21,255 

 

Shopping $1,877,911 38 $170,890 

 

All Other $464,902 10 $42,306 

 

All $10,494,846 745 $2,236,761 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 77

Table A.3.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident – Day Visitors 55,819 0.37 0.68 14,044.1 

Non-Resident – Camping 21,414 0.17 0.68 2,475.5 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 3% 387 3.0 2.0 

 

Friends and Family 20 14% 1,937 3.9 2.5 

 

Condominiums & Others 1 1% 97 3.0 1.0 

Day Visitors 120 83% 11,623 3.7 1.0 

 Subtotal 145 100% 14,044 

 

Camping 55 100% 4,951 3.9 2.5 

 

Estimated Spending per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $47.75 $15.92 

 

Friends and Family $29.65 $7.70 

 

Condominiums & Others $9.00 $3.00 

 

Day Visitors $37.03 $10.12 

 

Camping $56.74 $14.66 

 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $6,160 $1,556 0.49 

 

Friends and Family $14,917 $2,986 0.95 

 

Condominiums & Others $291 $86 0.02 

 

Day Visitors $117,596 $23,747 7.93 

 Subtotal $138,964 $28,375 9.39 

 

Camping $72,589 $16,762 5.08 

 

 Total $211,553 $45,137 14.47 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 78

 Table A.3.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $21,990 1.80 $7,015 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $30,668 4.00 $7,943 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $52,855 1.67 $5,127 

 

Admission Fees $56,432 4.74 $16,647 

 

Evening Entertainment $19,276 1.62 $5,686 

 

Ground Transportation $5,530 0.08 $288 

 

Shopping $21,532 0.48 $2,110 

 

All Other $3,272 0.08 $321 

 

All $211,555 14.47 $45,137 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 79

Table A.3.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident – Day Visitors 55,819 0.07 0.68 2,657.0 

Non-Resident – Camping 21,414 0.21 0.68 3,058.0 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

 

Friends and Family 10 14% 380 4.2 3.1 

 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 60 86% 2,277 3.6 1.0 

 Subtotal 70 100% 2,657 

 

Camping 30 100% 6,116 4.1 2.9 

 

Estimated Spending per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $0.00 $0.00 

 

Friends and Family $30.90 $7.36 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $41.46 $11.42 

 

Camping $57.90 $14.23 

 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $0 $0 0.00 

 

Friends and Family $2,796 $554 0.17 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $26,007 $5,155 1.77 

 Subtotal $28,803 $5,709 1.94 

 

Camping $87,006 $20,495 6.25 

 

 Total $115,809 $26,204 8.19 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 80

 Table A.3.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $24,043 1.97 $7,670 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $15,551 2.03 $4,028 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $28,010 0.89 $2,717 

 

Admission Fees $26,310 2.21 $7,762 

 

Evening Entertainment $10,132 0.85 $2,989 

 

Ground Transportation $2,458 0.03 $128 

 

Shopping $7,043 0.16 $690 

 

All Other $2,263 0.05 $222 

 

All $115,810 8.19 $26,206 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 81

Table A.3.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident – Day Visitors 55,819 0.15 0.68 5,693.5 

Non-Resident – Camping 21,414 0.31 0.68 4,514.0 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 1 1% 80 3.0 2.0 

 

Friends and Family 7 10% 561 3.1 2.0 

 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 63 89% 5,052 3.6 1.0 

 Subtotal 71 100% 5,694 

 

Camping 29 100% 9,028 4.0 2.4 

 

Estimated Spending per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $24.00 $8.00 

 

Friends and Family $21.43 $6.82 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $41.46 $11.42 

 

Camping $57.90 $14.58 

 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $640 $189 0.05 

 

Friends and Family $2,464 $499 0.14 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $57,702 $11,439 3.93 

 Subtotal $60,806 $12,127 4.12 

 

Camping $131,668 $31,015 9.46 

 

 Total $192,474 $43,142 13.58 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 82

Table A.3.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $36,385 2.98 $11,607 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $26,899 3.51 $6,967 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $47,168 1.49 $4,575 

 

Admission Fees $44,238 3.71 $13,050 

 

Evening Entertainment $17,343 1.47 $5,116 

 

Ground Transportation $3,847 0.06 $200 

 

Shopping $12,771 0.28 $1,252 

 

All Other $3,822 0.08 $375 

 

All $192,473 13.58 $43,142 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 83

Table A.3.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident – Day Visitors 55,819 0.41 0.6 13,731.5 

Non-Resident – Camping 21,414 0.31 0.6 3,983.0 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 2 3% 371 3.0 1.3 

 

Friends and Family 5 7% 928 4.0 2.2 

 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 67 91% 12,433 3.7 1.0 

 Subtotal 74 100% 13,731 

 

Camping 26 100% 7,966 4.1 2.5 

 

Estimated Spending per Party and 

Person by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $92.50 $30.83 

 

Friends and Family $35.80 $8.95 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $36.07 $9.83 

 

Camping $58.26 $14.28 

 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $11,439 $3,578 0.94 

 

Friends and Family $8,303 $1,748 0.59 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $122,196 $25,278 9.03 

 Subtotal $141,938 $30,604 10.56 

 

Camping $113,750 $25,145 7.6 

 

 Total $255,688 $55,749 18.16 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 84

Table A.3.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Alexander Springs, Lake County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $39,261 3.21 $12,524 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $42,437 5.54 $10,991 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $78,625 2.49 $7,627 

 

Admission Fees $64,329 5.40 $18,977 

 

Evening Entertainment $13,633 1.15 $4,022 

 

Ground Transportation $2,127 0.03 $110 

 

Shopping $11,391 0.25 $1,116 

 

All Other $3,885 0.09 $382 

 

All $255,688 18.16 $55,749 
 85

Table A.4.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 5,776 0.37 0.72 1,538.7 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 3% 38 3.8 1.2 

 

Friends and Family 20 10% 154 3.7 2.7 

Camping 41 21% 315 3.5 2.6 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 134 67% 1,031 3.2 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 1,539 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $77.00 $20.26 

 

Friends and Family $13.55 $3.66 

 

Camping $32.28 $9.12 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $14.55 $4.52 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $770.00 $234.00 0.06 

 

Friends and Family $564.00 $120.00 0.05 

 

Camping $2,873.00 $673.00 0.22 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $4,659.00 $844.00 0.32 

 Total $8,866.00 $1,871.00 0.65 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 86

 Table A.4.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,932 0.16 $616 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $2,287 0.30 $593 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $2,994 0.09 $291 

 

Admission Fees $285 0.02 $84 

 

Evening Entertainment $775 0.07 $229 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $594 0.01 $59 

 

All Other $0 0.00 $0 

 

All $8,867 0.65 $1,872 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 87

Table A.4.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 5,776 0.07 0.72 291.1 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 1 1% 3 3.0 1.6 

 

Friends and Family 11 11% 32 3.4 2.8 

Camping 22 22% 64 3.4 2.9 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 66 66% 192 2.9 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 291 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $67.00 $22.04 

 

Friends and Family $14.90 $4.43 

 

Camping $28.09 $8.36 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $17.76 $6.17 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $66.12 $21.04 0.01 

 

Friends and Family $141.91 $31.02 0.01 

 

Camping $535.05 $126.02 0.04 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

Day Visitors $1,184.00 $215.38 0.09 

 Total $1,927.08 $393.46 0.15 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 88

 Table A.4.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $320 0.03 $102 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $564 0.07 $146 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $694 0.02 $67 

 

Admission Fees $119 0.01 $35 

 

Evening Entertainment $104 0.01 $31 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $127 0.01 $13 

 

All Other $0 0.00 $0 

 

All $1,928 0.15 $394 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey.
 89

Table A.4.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 5,776 0.15 0.72 623.81 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 25 3.5 3.0 

 

Friends and Family 11 11% 69 3.8 2.3 

Camping 20 20% 125 3.4 2.6 

Condominiums & Others 4 4% 25 3.5 3.0 

Day Visitors 61 61% 381 3.2 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 624 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $80.75 $23.07 

 

Friends and Family $20.12 $5.29 

 

Camping $35.15 $10.34 

 

Condominiums & Others $80.75 $23.07 

 

Day Visitors $18.81 $5.86 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $576.79 $169.18 0.04 

 

Friends and Family $365.33 $60.14 0.02 

 

Camping $1,292.28 $271.85 0.09 

 

Condominiums & Others $576.79 $169.18 0.04 

 

Day Visitors $2,232.59 $403.21 0.16 

 Total $5,043.78 $1,073.56 0.35 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 90

 Table A.4.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,476 0.12 $471 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $847 0.11 $220 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $1,788 0.06 $174 

 

Admission Fees $106 0.01 $32 

 

Evening Entertainment $496 0.03 $146 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $249 0.01 $25 

 

All Other $83 0.01 $8 

 

All $5,045 0.35 $1,076 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey.
 91

Table A.4.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 5,776 0.41 0.68 1,610.4 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 64 3.3 2.8 

 

Friends and Family 6 6% 97 4.0 2.5 

Camping 20 20% 322 3.2 2.7 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 70 70% 1,127 3.2 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 1,610 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $66.00 $20.31 

 

Friends and Family $10.33 $2.58 

 

Camping $38.40 $12.19 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $18.90 $5.89 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $507.69 $157.92 0.05 

 

Friends and Family $178.19 $18.45 0.01 

 

Camping $1,523.81 $325.31 0.10 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $2,278.77 $399.44 0.15 

 Total $4,488.46 $901.12 0.31 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 92

 Table A.4.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Apopka Spring, Lake County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,018 0.08 $325 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $900 0.12 $233 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $1,622 0.05 $157 

 

Admission Fees $111 0.01 $33 

 

Evening Entertainment $362 0.03 $107 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 . 

Shopping $331 0.01 $33 

 

All Other $146 0.01 $15 

 

All $4,490 0.31 $903 

Source: U.S. Forest Service; Bonn Marketing Survey.
 93

Table A.5.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 2,886 0.37 0.6 640.7 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 3% 16 3.8 1.2 

 

Friends and Family 20 10% 64 3.7 2.7 

Camping 41 21% 131 3.5 2.6 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 134 67% 492 3.2 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 641 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $77.00 $20.26 

 

Friends and Family $13.55 $3.66 

 

Camping $32.28 $9.12 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $14.55 $4.52 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $324.00 $98.26 0.03 

 

Friends and Family $234.38 $49.72 0.02 

 

Camping $1,194.54 $279.72 0.09 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $1,938.49 $351.16 0.13 

 Total $3,691.41 $778.86 0.27 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Apopka Spring 
 94

 Table A.5.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

3rd Quarter(July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $807 0.07 $257 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $952 0.12 $246 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $1,245 0.04 $121 

 

Admission Fees $119 0.01 $35 

 

Evening Entertainment $322 0.02 $95 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $247 0.01 $24 

 

All Other $0 0.00 $0 

 

All $3,692 0.27 $778 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 95

Table A.5.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 2,886 0.07 0.72 145.45 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 3% 4 3.0 1.6 

 

Friends and Family 20 10% 15 3.4 2.8 

Camping 41 21% 30 3.4 2.9 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 134 67% 97 2.9 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 145 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $67.00 $22.04 

 

Friends and Family $14.90 $4.43 

 

Camping $28.09 $8.36 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $17.76 $6.17 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $88.16 $28.06 0.01 

 

Friends and Family $66.52 $14.54 0.01 

 

Camping $250.80 $59.07 0.02 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $598.17 $108.81 0.04 

 Total $1003.65 $210.48 0.07 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Apopka Spring 
 96

 Table A.5.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $206 0.02 $66 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $279 0.04 $72 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $343 0.01 $33 

 

Admission Fees $61 0.01 $18 

 

Evening Entertainment $52 0.00 $15 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $63 0.00 $6 

 

All Other $0 0.00 $0 

 

All $1,004 0.07 $210 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey.
 97

Table A.5.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 2,886 0.15 0.6 259.7 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 10 3.5 3.0 

 

Friends and Family 11 11% 29 3.8 2.3 

Camping 20 20% 52 3.4 2.6 

Condominiums & Others 4 4% 10 3.5 3.0 

Day Visitors 61 61% 158 3.2 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 260 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $80.75 $23.07 

 

Friends and Family $20.12 $5.29 

 

Camping $35.15 $10.34 

 

Condominiums & Others $80.75 $23.07 

 

Day Visitors $18.81 $5.86 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $230.71 $67.67 0.02 

 

Friends and Family $153.55 $25.28 0.01 

 

Camping $537.59 $113.09 0.03 

 

Condominiums & Others $230.71 $67.67 0.02 

 

Day Visitors $925.85 $167.21 0.06 

 Total $2,078.41 $440.92 0.14 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Apopka Spring 
 98

 Table A.5.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $599 0.05 $191 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $352 0.05 $91 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $741 0.02 $72 

 

Admission Fees $44 0.01 $13 

 

Evening Entertainment $206 0.02 $60 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $103 0.01 $10 

 

All Other $34 0.01 $3 

 

All $2,079 0.17 $440 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey.
 99

Table A.5.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Lake County 2,886 0.41 0.6 710.0 

Visitors from Outside Lake 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 28 3.2 1.1 

 

Friends and Family 6 6% 43 4.0 2.5 

Camping 20 20% 142 3.2 2.7 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 70 70% 497 3.2 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 710 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $66.00 $20.56 

 

Friends and Family $10.33 $2.58 

 

Camping $38.40 $12.19 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $18.90 $5.89 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $568.61 $176.86 0.05 

 

Friends and Family $111.05 $12.00 0.01 

 

Camping $1,731.05 $369.55 0.11 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $2,972.56 $521.06 0.19 

 Total $5,383.27 $1,079.47 0.36 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Apopka Spring 
 100

Table A.5.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Bugg Spring, Lake County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,149 0.09 $366 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $1,125 0.14 $291 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $1,941 0.06 $188 

 

Admission Fees $136 0.01 $40 

 

Evening Entertainment $465 0.03 $137 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.01 $0 

 

Shopping $386 0.01 $38 

 

All Other $182 0.01 $18 

 

All $5,384 0.36 $1,078 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey.
 101

Table A.6.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 259,000 0.34 0.72 63,403.2 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 16 8% 5,072 3.8 2.3 

 

Friends and Family 22 11% 6,974 3.7 2.6 

Camping 12 6% 3,804 3.9 2.3 

Condominiums & Others 2 1% 634 3.5 3.0 

Day Visitors 148 74% 46,918 3.7 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 63,403 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $116.06 $30.46 

 

Friends and Family $52.46 $14.06 

 

Camping $47.17 $12.03 

 

Condominiums & Others $39.00 $11.14 

 

Day Visitors $35.62 $9.68 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $154,503 $32,565 11 

 

Friends and Family $98,085 $20,042 8 

 

Camping $45,774 $10,109 4 

 

Condominiums & Others $42,388 $9,232 2 

 

Day Visitors $454,136 $83,987 29 

 Total $794,886 $155,935 54 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 102

Table A.6.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $103,523 8 $24,328 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) 222,019 27 $61,005 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $137,063 4 $14,118 

 

Admission Fees $67,951 4 $14,677 

 

Evening Entertainment $137,391 7 $29,951 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0 $0.00 

 

Shopping $106,618 2 $9,915 

 

All Other $20,321 1 $1,890 

 

All $794,886 53 $155,884 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey.

 
 103

Table A.6.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 259,000 0.12 0.72 22,377.6 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 895 3.5 2.5 

 

Friends and Family 9 9% 2,014 3.8 2.6 

Camping 12 12% 2,685 3.9 2.3 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 75 75% 16,783 3.7 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 22,378 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $92.75 $26.50 

 

Friends and Family $40.78 $10.79 

 

Camping $47.17 $12.03 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $40.63 $11.04 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $23,718 $5,063 2 

 

Friends and Family $21,728 $4,520 2 

 

Camping $32,309 $7,136 3 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0 

 

Day Visitors $185,297 $34,828 12 

 Total $263,052 $51,547 19 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 104

Table A.6.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $25,560 2 $6,006 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) 91,780 11 $25,240 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $45,852 2 $4,723 

 

Admission Fees $23,407 1 $5,056 

 

Evening Entertainment $27,289 2 $5,949 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0 $0 

 

Shopping $41,355 1 $3,846 

 

All Other $7,809 1 $726 

 

All $263,052 20 $51,546 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey.

 
 105

Table A.6.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 259,000 0.21 0.72 39,160.8 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 10 10% 3,916 4.1 2.2 

 

Friends and Family 10 10% 3,916 3.4 2.6 

Camping 4 4% 1,566 4.0 2.8 

Condominiums & Others 1 1% 392 4.0 3.0 

Day Visitors 75 75% 29,371 3.6 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 39,161 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $132.40 $32.29 

 

Friends and Family $46.60 $13.71 

 

Camping $42.75 $10.69 

 

Condominiums & Others $49.00 $12.25 

 

Day Visitors $35.59 $9.97 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $126,458 $26,402 8 

 

Friends and Family $53,672 $11,359 5 

 

Camping $16,737 $3,939 2 

 

Condominiums & Others $4,802 $1,046 1 

 

Day Visitors $292,805 $54,311 19 

 Total $494,474 $97,057 35 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 106

Table A.6.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $71,680 6 $16,845 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) 144,081 17 $39,622 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $94,756 3 $9,760 

 

Admission Fees $40,250 2 $8,695 

 

Evening Entertainment $70,166 3 $15,296 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0 $0 

 

Shopping $59,225 1 $5,508 

 

All Other $14,315 1 $1,331 

 

All $494,473 33 $97,057 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey.
 107

Table A.6.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 259,000 0.33 0.72 61,538.4 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 4 4% 2,462 3.8 2.3 

 

Friends and Family 5 5% 3,077 4.0 2.6 

Camping 10 10% 6,154 3.6 2.9 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 81 81% 49,846 3.7 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 61,538 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $109.00 $29.07 

 

Friends and Family $43.60 $10.90 

 

Camping $60.50 $16.81 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $31.34 $8.52 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $71,562 $16,152 5.6 

 

Friends and Family $33,539 $8,446 3.4 

 

Camping $103,421 $21,293 6.9 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0 

 

Day Visitors $424,504 $75,157 24.8 

 Total $633,026 $121,048 40.7 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 108

Table A.6.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Ponce de Leon Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $75,258 5.9 $17,686 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $170,993 20.8 $47,023 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $140,383 4.3 $14,460 

 

Admission Fees $61,297 3.1 $13,240 

 

Evening Entertainment $91,414 4.7 $19,928 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.0 $0.00 

 

Shopping $70,437 1.5 $5,550 

 

All Other $23,244 0.5 $2,162 

 

All $633,026 40.7 $120,049 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey.
 109

Table A.7.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 57,755 0.24 0.64 8,871.2 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 12 6% 532 4.2 3.4 

 

Friends and Family 28 14% 1,242 3.8 3.3 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 160 80% 7,097 4.0 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 8,871 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $96.67 $23.18 

 

Friends and Family $24.89 $6.64 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $27.75 $7.03 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $12,333 $2,649 0.87 

 

Friends and Family $8,244 $1,584 0.57 

 

Camping $0 $0 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $49,859 $9,268 3.19 

 Total $70,436 $13,501 4.63 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 110

 Table A.7.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $8,888 0.70 $2,089 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $21,150 2.57 $5,816 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $10,263 0.31 $1,057 

 

Admission Fees $7,894 0.40 $1,705 

 

Evening Entertainment $6,124 0.31 $1,335 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $12,947 0.27 $1,204 

 

All Other $3,168 0.07 $295 

 

All $70,434 4.63 $13,501 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 111

Table A.7.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 57,755 0.16 0.64 5,914.1 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 3 3% 177 4.3 2.3 

 

Friends and Family 13 13% 769 3.8 2.6 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 84 84% 4,968 3.6 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 5,914 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $101.17 $23.36 

 

Friends and Family $22.88 $5.99 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $28.14 $7.77 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $4,136 $924 0.30 

 

Friends and Family $4,606 $1,002 0.38 

 

Camping $0 $0 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $38,619 $7,614 2.70 

 Total $47,361 $9,540 3.38 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 112

Table A.7.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $2,862 0.22 $673 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $18,389 2.23 $5,057 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $6,388 0.19 $658 

 

Admission Fees $5,651 0.29 $1,221 

 

Evening Entertainment $4,997 0.26 $1,089 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $7,018 0.15 $653 

 

All Other $2,056 0.04 $191 

 

All $47,361 3.38 $9,542 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 113

Table A.7.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 57,755 0.2 0.64 7,392.6 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 5% 370 3.9 1.0 

 

Friends and Family 15 15% 1,109 3.6 3.0 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 80 80% 5,914 4.0 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 7,393 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $78.50 $20.18 

 

Friends and Family $22.56 $6.27 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $29.33 $7.43 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $7,467 $1,750 0.57 

 

Friends and Family $6,950 $1,405 0.53 

 

Camping $0 $0 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $43,913 $9,090 3.27 

 Total $58,330 $12,245 4.37 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 114

Table A.7.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $5,612 0.44 $1,319 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $23,538 2.86 $6,473 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $5,121 0.16 $528 

 

Admission Fees $6,651 0.34 $1,437 

 

Evening Entertainment $6,945 0.35 $1,514 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $6,792 0.14 $632 

 

All Other $3,670 0.08 $341 

 

All $58,329 4.37 $12,244 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 115

Table A.7.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 57,755 0.4 0.64 14,785.3 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 5% 739 3.8 1.3 

 

Friends and Family 16 16% 2,366 3.6 3.4 

Camping 1 1% 148 6.0 4.0 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 78 78% 11,533 3.8 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 14,785 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $138.50 $36.26 

 

Friends and Family $45.83 $12.63 

 

Camping $178.50 $29.75 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $31.77 $8.30 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $26,794 $6,634 2.49 

 

Friends and Family $29,872 $6,786 2.73 

 

Camping $4,403 $969 0.39 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $95,667 $19,229 7.04 

 Total $156,736 $33,618 12.65 

Source: Florida Department of Environment Protection; Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 116

 Table A.7.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Gemini Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $14,932 1.17 $3,509 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $75,998 9.22 $20,900 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $18,300 0.56 $1,885 

 

Admission Fees $12,380 0.63 $2,674 

 

Evening Entertainment $11,065 0.57 $2,412 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $15,497 0.32 $1,441 

 

All Other $8,562 0.18 $796 

 

All $156,734 12.65 $33,617 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 117

Table A.8.1 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 14,439 0.24 64% 2,217.8 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 12 6% 133 4.2 3.4 

 

Friends and Family 28 14% 310 3.8 3.3 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 160 80% 1,774 4.0 1.0 

 Total 200 100% 2,218 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $96.67 $23.18 

 

Friends and Family $24.89 $6.64 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $27.75 $7.03 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $3,083 $662 0.22 

 

Friends and Family $2,058 $395 0.14 

 

Camping $0 $0 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $12,463 $2,317 0.80 

 Total $17,604 $3,374 1.16 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Gemini Springs 
 118

 Table A.8.2 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

3rd Quarter (July-Sept), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $2,222 0.17 $522 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $5,286 0.64 $1,453 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $2,565 0.08 $264 

 

Admission Fees $1,973 0.10 $426 

 

Evening Entertainment $1,531 0.08 $334 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0.00 

 

Shopping $3,236 0.07 $301 

 

All Other $792 0.02 $74 

 

All $17,605 1.16 $3,374 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 119

Table A.8.3 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 14,439 0.16 0.64 1,478.6 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 3 3% 44 4.3 2.3 

 

Friends and Family 13 13% 192 3.8 2.6 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 84 84% 1,242 3.6 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 1,479 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $101.17 $23.36 

 

Friends and Family $22.88 $5.99 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $28.14 $7.77 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $1,028 $230 0.08 

 

Friends and Family $1,150 $250 0.09 

 

Camping $0 $0 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $9,655 $1,904 0.68 

 Total $11,833 $2,384 0.85 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Gemini Springs 
 120

 Table A.8.4 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.), 2003 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $711 0.06 $168 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $4,596 0.57 $1,264 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $1,597 0.05 $165 

 

Admission Fees $1,412 0.07 $305 

 

Evening Entertainment $1,249 0.06 $272 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $1,754 0.03 $163 

 

All Other $514 0.01 $48 

 

All $11,833 0.85 $2,385 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 121

Table A.8.5 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 14,439 0.2 64% 1,848.2 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 5% 92 3.9 1.0 

 

Friends and Family 15 15% 277 3.6 3.0 

Camping 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 80 80% 1,479 4.0 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 1,848 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $78.50 $20.18 

 

Friends and Family $22.56 $6.27 

 

Camping $0.00 $0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $29.33 $7.43 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $1,857 $435 0.14 

 

Friends and Family $1,736 $351 0.13 

 

Camping $0 $0 0.00 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $10,982 $2,273 0.82 

 Total $14,575 $3,059 1.09 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Gemini Springs 
 122

Table A.8.6 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

1st Quarter (Jan.-Mar.), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $1,395 0.11 $328 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $5,885 0.71 $1,618 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $1,281 0.04 $132 

 

Admission Fees $1,663 0.09 $359 

 

Evening Entertainment $1,736 0.09 $378 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $1,698 0.03 $158 

 

All Other $918 0.02 $85 

 

All $14,576 1.09 $3,058 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
 123

Table A.8.7 

Estimation of the Direct Economic Impact of Visitors Associated with 

Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004

 Annual 

 Annual 

Attend. in 

Quarter 

(Seasonal) 

Percent of 

Quarterly 

Attendees 

Visitors 

 = Estimated 

Quarterly Visitors 

to Springs 

Non-Resident Visitors to 

Volusia County 14,439 0.4 0.64 3,696.4 

Visitors from Outside Volusia 

County by Accommodation 

Sample 

Size 

Accom. 

% 

Visitors 

by Accom 

Party 

Size 

Length 

of Stay 

(LS) 

Hotels and Motels 5 5% 185 3.8 1.3 

 

Friends and Family 16 16% 591 3.6 3.4 

Camping 1 1% 37 6.0 4.0 

Condominiums & Others 0 0% 0 N/A N/A 

Day Visitors 78 78% 2,883 3.8 1.0 

 Total 100 100% 3,696 

 

Estimated Spending Per Party and Person 

by Accommodation 

$EPPD 

(Daily Spending per Party) 

$EPPED 

(Daily Spending per Person) 

Hotel and Motels $138.50 $36.26 

 

Friends and Family $45.83 $12.63 

 

Camping $178.50 $29.75 

 

Condominiums & Others $0.00 $0.00 

 

Day Visitors $31.77 $8.30 

Estimated Spending, Wages and 

Employment Spending Wages Employment 

Hotel and Motels $6,708 $1,661 0.62 

 

Friends and Family $7,462 $1,695 0.68 

 

Camping $179 $40 0.02 

 

Condominiums & Others $0 $0 0.00 

 

Day Visitors $23,188 $4,661 1.71 

 Total $37,537 $8,057 3.03 

Source: Data Based on Economic Parameters for Gemini Springs 
 124

Table A.8.8 

 Estimation of Quarterly Spending, Created Employment and Wages 

at Green Springs, Volusia County, Florida 

2nd Quarter (Apr.-June), 2004 

Spending Category Spending 

Related 

Employment Related Wages 

 

Lodging $3,609 0.28 $848 

 

Food & Beverages(Restaurants) $18,154 2.20 $4,992 

 

Food & Beverages(Groceries) $4,203 0.13 $433 

 

Admission Fees $3,005 0.15 $649 

 

Evening Entertainment $2,694 0.15 $588 

 

Ground Transportation $0 0.00 $0 

 

Shopping $3,780 0.07 $352 

 

All Other $2,091 0.05 $195 

 

All $37,536 3.03 $8,057 

Source: Bonn Marketing Survey. 
APPENDIX B: QUARTERLY VISITOR PROFILE 

 125

Table B.1: Eight Priority Springs Visitor Profile: Q3 2003 

Sample Size = 593 

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

Q3 2003 $71.19 1.3 3.6 2.6 31.4% 49.0% 10.4% 9.2% Yes 29.4% No 70.6% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Volusia 15.7% Lake 14.8 

Alachua 11.5 

Seminole 3.5 Polk 3.4 Citrus 1.9 Polk 1.7 Orange 1.7 Non Florida Residents 34.7 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 55.0% Spending time with family 26.0 Entertaining guests 9.6 Enjoy the wildlife 9.4 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 67.2% Family/Friends 21.4 Brochure 5.8 Internet 5.6 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 42.4% Male 43.6% Married 77.0% Caucasian 79.0% Under $20,000 4.8% Post Graduate Degree 11.6 Female 56.4 Single 20.2 Hispanic 6.6 $20,000-$49,999 30.4 High School Graduate 14.8 Divorced/Widowed 2.4 African-American 12.8 $50,000-$79,999 38.6 Technical School 28.2 No Answer 0.4 Other 1.6 $80,000 or More 12.6 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Restaurants $14.65 

Admission Fees 12.96 

Lodging 11.57 Shopping 10.86 Groceries 9.28 Evening Entertainment 4.34 Ground Transportation 3.91 Other Items 3.62 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $71.19 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 54.4% Swimming 38.6 View Wildlife 18.2 Fishing 17.6 Boating 15.4 Photography 13.2 Water Sports 10.4 Snorkeling 8.4 

Archeology 6.6 

Scuba Diving 6.4 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 66.6% Locally 27.8 Another County 5.6 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 66.6% Private Home 11.8 Campground 8.8 Hotel/Motel 6.4 Other 6.4 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.13Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.43 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.74 
APPENDIX B: QUARTERLY VISITOR PROFILE 

 126

Table B.2: Springs Visitor Profile for Q4, 2003 

Sample Size = 588 

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $70.33 1.5 3.4 2.2 33.8% 42.4% 17.2% 6.6% Yes 27.8% No 72.2% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Volusia 16.3% Lake 15.5 Marion 15.3 Polk 3.7 Citrus 3.2 Seminole 2.9 

Alachua 1.7 

Sumter 1.5 Non-Florida Residents 34.8 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 70.0% Spending time with family 16.6 Entertaining guests 7.8 Enjoy the wildlife 5.6 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 70.0% Family/Friends 16.6 Internet 7.8 Brochure 5.6 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 46.4% Male 39.4% Married 75.6% Caucasian 80.0% Under $20,000 3.8% Post Graduate Degree 15.4 Female 60.6 Single 17.0 Hispanic 7.0 $20,000-$49,999 23.6 High School Graduate 9.4 Divorced/Widowed 5.2 African-American 12.2 $50,000-$79,999 43.4 Technical School 26.2 No Answer 2.2 Other 0.8 $80,000 or More 17.2 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Groceries $9.01 Restaurants 16.49 

Admission Fees 16.79 

Shopping 10.52 Evening Entertainment 4.49 Lodging 7.70 Ground Transportation 3.02 Other Items 2.32 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $70.33 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 61.6% Swimming 36.6 View Wildlife 21.2 Boating 17.0 Photography 11.8 Snorkeling 8.2 Fishing 7.2 Water Sports 7.0 Scuba Diving 6.8 

Archeology 1.2 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 71.6% Locally 22.4 Another County 5.8 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 72.0% Private Home 9.6 Campground 12.8 Hotel/Motel 2.0 Other 3.6 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.35Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.60 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.40 
APPENDIX B: QUARTERLY VISITOR PROFILE 

 127

Table B.3: Springs Visitor Profile for Q1, 2004 

Sample Size = 571 

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $67.86 1.5 3.5 2.3 33.6% 45.2% 14.0% 7.2% Yes 26.8% No 73.2% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Volusia 18.8% Marion 16.6 Lake 16.0 Seminole 4.0 Orange 3.2 Polk 3.0 Sumter 2.4 

Alachua 2.0 

Non Florida Residents 29.0 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 60.6% Spending time with family 23.2 Enjoy the wildlife 9.0 Entertaining guests 7.2 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 70.0% Family/Friends 17.6 Internet 6.2 Brochure 6.2 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 39.6% Male 43.2% Married 76.9% Caucasian 80.9% Under $20,000 4.4% Post Graduate Degree 15.8 Female 56.8 Single 17.3 Hispanic 5.6 $20,000-$49,999 25.7 High School Graduate 10.3 Divorced/Widowed 3.9 African-American 11.9 $50,000-$79,999 36.4 Technical School 25.6 No Answer 2.0 Other 1.6 $80,000 or More 13.7 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Restaurants $15.40 

Admission Fees 12.12 

Groceries 9.87 Lodging 9.61 Shopping 9.21 Evening Entertainment 4.76 Ground Transportation 3.58 Other Items 3.31 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $67.86 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 63.2% Swimming 37.8 View Wildlife 21.2 Fishing 20.2 Boating 16.8 Photography 13.2 Water Sports 8.6 Snorkeling 8.6 Scuba Diving 6.8 

Archeology 4.4 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 72.8% Locally 21.8 Another County 5.4 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 66.0% Private Home 10.7 Campground 9.3 Hotel/Motel 6.1 

Other 7.9

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.21Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.48 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.36 
APPENDIX B: QUARTERLY VISITOR PROFILE 

 128

 Table B.4: Springs Visitor Profile for Q2, 2004 

Sample Size = 546 

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $49.37 1.4 3.5 1.8 33.6% 46.4% 13.2% 6.8% Yes 25.8% No 74.2% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Volusia 20.5% Lake 17.2 Marion 14.4 Sumter 4.0 Seminole 3.6 Polk 2.0 Flagler 1.8 Orange 1.6 Pasco 1.4 Non Florida Residents 27.6 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 62.6% Spending time with family 21.0 Entertaining guests 7.8 Enjoy the wildlife 8.6 How Heard About the Springs 

Enjoy the outdoors 62.6% Spending time with family 21.0 Entertaining guests 7.8 Enjoy the wildlife 8.6 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 46.3% Male 43.4% Married 76.7% Caucasian 83.5% Under $20,000 4.8% Post Graduate Degree 14.3 Female 56.6 Single 19.0 Hispanic 3.3 $20,000-$49,999 25.1 High School Graduate 11.5 Divorced/Widowed 3.5 African-American 11.0 $50,000-$79,999 40.1 Technical School 25.1 No Answer 0.7 Other 2.2 $80,000 or More 15.8 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Restaurants $12.91 Groceries 10.48 

Admission Fees 9.54 

Lodging 6.07 Shopping 5.10 Evening Entertainment 2.92 Other Items 1.78 Ground Transportation 0.58 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $49.37 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 69.4% Swimming 39.6 View Wildlife 22.8 Boating 20.4 Fishing 17.8 Photography 13.0 Water Sports 10.0 Snorkeling 8.8 Scuba Diving 3.8 

Archeology 0.0 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 72.1% Locally 22.4 Another County 5.6 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 68.1% Campground 10.4 Private Home 7.7 Hotel/Motel 4.8 

Other 9.0

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.21Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.54 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.51 
Silver Glen Springs Visitors Study 2003-2004 TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size = 400 

 129

Appendix C

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $44.31 1.6 3.5 2.6 27.8% 55.0% 12.3% 5.0% Yes 21.5% No 78.5% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Marion 48.0% Lake 13.0 Volusia 7.3 Sumter 4.0 

Alachua 3.5 

Citrus 2.8 Hillsborough 1.5 Polk 0.8 Pinellas 0.5 Non Florida Resident 18.5 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 67.2% Spending time with family 17.5 Entertaining guests 9.3 Enjoy the wildlife 6.0 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 80.5% Family/Friends 20.6 Internet 4.0 Brochure 1.5 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 48.5% Male 32.0% Married 75.0% Caucasian 87.8% Under $20,000 6.8% Post Graduate Degree 7.8 Female 68.0 Single 17.5 Hispanic 3.8 $20,000-$49,999 33.5 High School Graduate 16.8 Divorced/Widowed 4.5 African-American 8.5 $50,000-$79,999 37.8 Technical School 27.0 No Answer 3.0 Other 0.0 $80,000 or More 15.3 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Groceries $15.40 Restaurants 9.14 

Admission Fees 9.34 

Shopping 2.85 Evening Entertainment 2.55 Lodging 2.14 Ground Transportation 0.14 Other Items 2.76 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $44.31 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 59.0% Boating 48.8 Swimming 45.8 Water Sports 32.0 Fishing 20.0 View Wildlife 19.0 Photography 18.0 Snorkeling 12.8 Scuba Diving 11.8 

Archeology 4.5 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 67.3% Locally 26.0 Another County 6.7 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 67.5% Hotel/Motel 3.0 Private Home 8.5 Other 21.0 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.36Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.95 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.17 
Silver Springs Visitors Study 2003-2004 TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size = 298 

 130

Appendix D 

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $248.60 2.3 3.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 

Top Visitor County Origin 

N/A 

Main Purpose for VisitN/A How Heard About the Springs 

N/A 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 42.7% Male 51.3% Married 82.1% Caucasian 92.3% Under $20,000 4.3% Post Graduate Degree 27.4 Female 48.7 Single 8.5 Hispanic 1.7 $20,000-$49,999 24.8 High School Graduate 10.3 Divorced/Widowed 3.4 African-American 0.9 $50,000-$79,999 32.5 Technical School 13.7 No Answer 6.0 Other 5.1 $80,000 or More 14.5 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Admission Fees $61.85 Restaurants 53.53 Shopping 45.06 Lodging 35.27 Ground Transportation 20.20 Other Items 12.43 Groceries 11.64 Evening Entertainment 8.61 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $248.60 

Where Stayed OvernightN/A Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 29.9% Hotel/Motel 16.2 Private Home 6.0 Other 47.9 
Alexander Springs Visitors Study 2003-2004 TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size = 400 

 131

Appendix E

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $43.85 1.2 3.7 2.0 21.0% 66.8% 11.0% 1.3% Yes 20.0% No 80.0% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Lake 35.5% Marion 14.8 Volusia 10.3 Citrus 4.0 Sumter 3.5 Polk 3.0 Seminole 3.0 Non Florida Resident 19.3 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 58.5% Spending time with family 23.5 Enjoy the wildlife 10.0 Entertaining guests 8.0 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 75.5% Family/Friends 20.8 Internet 3.0 Brochure 0.8 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 42.0% Male 43.0% Married 75.8% Caucasian 83.0% Under $20,000 6.3% Post Graduate Degree 8.3 Female 57.0 Single 22.3 Hispanic 6.0 $20,000-$49,999 33.3 High School Graduate 14.5 Divorced/Widowed 2.0 African-American 11.0 $50,000-$79,999 44.5 Technical School 35.3 No Answer 0.0 Other 0.0 $80,000 or More 14.3 

Average Daily Expenditures Admission Fees $11.03 

Groceries 11.01 Lodging 6.54 Restaurants 6.54 Evening Entertainment 3.68 Shopping 3.49 Ground Transportation 0.94 Other Items 0.02 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $43.85 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 63.0% Swimming 48.0 Fishing 32.5 Snorkeling 29.8 View Wildlife 29.5 Scuba Diving 16.5 Boating 16.0 Photography 16.0 Water Sports 10.5 

Archeology 9.0 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 66.3% Locally 25.0 Another County 8.8 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 62.5% Campground 27.5 Private Home 8.0 Hotel/Motel 1.8 Other 0.3 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.67Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.86 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.57 
Apopka Spring Visitors Study 2003-2004 TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size = 400 

 132

Appendix F

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $22.21 1.3 3.3 2.2 41.8% 29.3% 22.5% 6.5% Yes 34.3% No 65.7% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Lake 27.8% Polk 9.0 Volusia 6.5 Marion 6.5 Sumter 4.8 Citrus 3.8 Orange 2.8 Non Florida Residents 32.0 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 59.5% Spending time with family 22.0 Enjoy the wildlife 10.0 Entertaining guests 8.5 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 63.0% Brochure 17.0 Family/Friends 11.3 Internet 8.8 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 43.5% Male 53.8.0% Married 82.8% Caucasian 84.3% Under $20,000 5.0% Post Graduate Degree 8.5 Female 46.3 Single 16.0 Hispanic 5.0 $20,000-$49,999 25.8 High School Graduate 16.5 Divorced/Widowed 1.3 African-American 10.8 $50,000-$79,999 42.8 Technical School 31.5 No Answer 0.0 Other 0.0 $80,000 or More 7.8 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Groceries $7.82 Lodging 5.12 Restaurants 4.91 Evening Entertainment 1.99 Shopping 1.40 

Admission Fees 0.60 

Other Items 0.32 Ground Transportation 0.00 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $22.21 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 68.0% Swimming 50.3 View Wildlife 18.8 Photography 12.0 Water Sports 2.5 Fishing 1.3 

Archeology 1.0 

Boating 0.0 Snorkeling 0.0 Scuba Diving 0.0 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 65.3% Locally 32.3 Another County 2.3 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 66.3% Campground 20.3 Private Home 10.3 Hotel/Motel 3.1 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.02Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 2.97 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.50 
Ponce de Leon Springs Visitors Study 2003-2004 TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size = 400 

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Appendix G

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $43.50 1.1 3.7 2.3 39.0% 39.3% 13.0% 8.8% Yes 43.8% No 56.3% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Volusia 32.0 Seminole 6.5 Polk 6.5 Marion 6.3 Lake 5.5 Orange 5.3 Brevard 4.5 Flagler 3.8 Non Florida Resident 27.0 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 54.9% Spending time with family 24.3 Entertaining guests 10.8 Enjoy the wildlife 10.0 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 54.9% Family/Friends 24.3 Internet 10.8 Brochure 10.0 

Education Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 39.3% Male 41.0% Married 69.5% Caucasian 73.8% Under $20,000 3.3% Post Graduate Degree 27.3 Female 59.0 Single 23.8 Hispanic 6.8 $20,000-$49,999 24.3 High School Graduate 3.5 Divorced/Widowed 4.5 African-American 17.3 $50,000-$79,999 35.3 Technical School 23.0 No Answer 2.3 Other 2.3 $80,000 or More 21.8 

Restaurants $12.38 Groceries 8.31 Evening Entertainment 6.16 Lodging 6.13 Shopping 5.54 Admission Fees 3.73 

Other Items 1.26 Ground Transportation 0.00 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $43.50 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 56.5% Swimming 46.8 Fishing 23.5 Boating 19.0 View Wildlife 13.5 Photography 12.3 Scuba Diving 1.5 

Archeology 0.8 

Water Sports 0.0 Snorkeling 0.0 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 76.0% Locally 16.8 Another County 7.3 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 76.0% Private Home 9.3 Hotel/Motel 7.5 Campground 6.5 Other 0.8 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 3.96Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.47 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.59 
Gemini Springs Visitors Study 2003-2004 TOTAL SPRINGS VISITORS: Sample Size = 400 

 134

Appendix H

 Expenditures Avg. Nights Avg. # In Party Likely To Return: Will Not Is This Date Per Party Spent Party Size Not Resident Next Year 6 Mos. Don’t Know Return Your First Visit? 

2003-2004 $34.10 1.2 3.9 2.0 36.0% 38.5% 9.8% 15.8% Yes 17.8% No 82.3% 

Top Visitor County Origin 

Marion 48.0% Lake 13.0 Volusia 7.3 Sumter 4.0 

Alachua 3.5 

Citrus 2.8 Hillsborough 1.5 Polk 0.8 Pinellas 0.5 Non Florida Resident 18.5 

Main Purpose for VisitEnjoy the outdoors 63.5% Spending time with family 28.5 Enjoy the wildlife 8.0 Entertaining guests 0.0 How Heard About the Springs 

Repeat Visitor 77.8% Family/Friends 17.3 Internet 3.3 Brochure 1.3 

Education

Total Sex Total Marital Status Total Ethnicity Total Income Total

Some College/College Grad 51.0% Male 40.0% Married 78.3% Caucasian 72.5% Under $20,000 1.5% Post Graduate Degree 15.8 Female 60.0 Single 15.3 Hispanic 7.5 $20,000-$49,999 17.8 High School Graduate 8.3 Divorced/Widowed 6.5 African-American 12.5 $50,000-$79,999 44.3 Technical School 18.0 No Answer 0.0 Other 4.5 $80,000 or More 15.3 

Average Daily Expenditures 

Restaurants $12.73 Shopping 4.77 Lodging 4.27 Groceries 4.18 

Admission Fees 3.42 

Evening Entertainment 3.01 Other Items 1.72 Ground Transportation 0.00 Total Avg. Daily Expenditure $34.10 

Top Visitor Activities 

Picnicking 64.3% View Wildlife 23.5 Fishing 13.8 Boating 11.3 Photography 5.8 Swimming 0.0 Scuba Diving 0.0 

Archeology 0.0 

Water Sports 0.0 Snorkeling 0.0 Other 6.8 

Where Stayed OvernightNo Overnight Stay 79.3% Locally 18.0 Another County 2.8 Accommodation Used 

No Overnight Stay 79.5% Private Home 14.8 Hotel/Motel 5.5 Campground 0.3 

Rate your Visit to the Springs 4.11Rate Importance of Springs to Your Quality of Life 3.33 (On a 1-5 Scale, with 5 being the highest) Willingness to Pay for Access to Private Springs $4.67 
 135

APPENDIX I: FLORIDA SPRINGS VISITOR SURVEY 

Surveyor’s Initials________ 

Q01 Date: ______________________ 

Q02 Site (circle one): WS IS HS VB 

Q03 Gender: 1=Male 2=Female 

What is your: 

Q04 City: ______________________ 

Q05 County: ____________________ 

 

Q06 State: ______ Country: _______ 

Q07 Zip Code: __________________ 

Q08 What best describe your reason for today’s visit? 

______________________ 

Q8B What activities have you pursued during this visit? 

 ________________________________________ 

Q09 Number of nights spent in the area during this trip: 

__________ 

 

Q10 Where did you stay overnight? 

 1= Locally 

 2= In another county 

3= Other (specify)___________ 

 

Q11 Accommodations Used: 

 1= No nights spent in area 

 2= Hotel/Motel 

 3= Condominium 

 4= Private Home 

 5= Other _______________ 

 

Q12 How many people are in your travel party? ________ 

Q13 How many in your travel party are NOT county residents? 

_______ 

Q14 Is this your first visit to this spring? Y N 

 

Q15 If Y, how did you hear about this spring? 

_______________________ 

Q16 Will you come back to this spring in the near future? Y N 

Q17 If Y, Within the next 6 months? Y N 

 Within the next year? Y N 

 

Q26 Please rate your visit to this spring: 

 Poor 1 2 3 4 5 Excellent 

During the past 24 hours, please indicate the amount spent 

by your party: 

Q18 $_____ Lodging 

Q19 $_____ Restaurant Meals/Beverages 

Q20 $_____ Grocery/Convenience Stores 

Q21 $_____ Admission Fees 

Q22 $_____ Evening Entertainment 

Q23 $_____ Ground Transportation 

Q24 $_____ Shopping 

Q25 $_____ All Other 

 

Q27 Ethnicity: 

 1= Caucasian 

 2= African-American 

 3= Hispanic 

 4= Asian 

 5= Other_______________ 

Q28 Education: 

 1= High School Graduate 

 2= Technical School 

 3= Some College/College Graduate 

4= Post Graduate Degree 

Q29 Total Household Income: 

 1=Under $20,000 3=$50,000-$79,999 

 2=$20,000-$49,999 4=$80,000+ 

Q30 Marital Status: 

 1=Married 2=Single 3=Widowed/Divorced 

Q31 If privately owned springs in this area were opened to the 

public on a limited access basis, how much would you be 

willing to spend on the entrance fee for each visit if you 

knew the money would go to the protection of those natural 

springs? $________ 

Q32 Please rate the importance Florida springs have upon your 

quality of life: 

 Extremely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Extremely 

Important Unimportant 

 

Thank you for your help
 136