Florida boasts more than 12 million acres of public land, coating around a third of the state. That includes 175 state parks. Three national parks. Two national preserves. Two national seashores. Three national forests and 38 state forests. Thirty wildlife refuges — the third-most of any state. And more than 6.1 million acres of wildlife management areas.
On Sept. 27, you can celebrate those lands — and even give back to them — on National Public Lands Day.
The tradition started on July 30, 1994, with the inaugural “Public Lands Appreciation Day” organized by a Los Angeles magazine, the Bureau of Land Management and hundreds of volunteers. The nonprofit National Environmental Education Foundation now leads the celebration, which annually lands on the fourth Saturday of September and marks the largest single-day volunteer event dedicated to public lands. Last year, more than 750 events across all 50 states drew 50,000-plus participants, generating over $10 million in volunteer service value.
Several Florida parks are planning activities for this year’s National Public Lands Day, including Oscar Scherer State Park in Sarasota County, which is hosting a workday for volunteers to pull invasive plants, collect litter and maintain trails. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse in Palm Beach County will offer similar opportunities within its 120-acre outstanding natural area. The Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola invites volunteers to help plant monarch butterfly habitat on an old borrow pit. All national parks will offer free admission.
This September’s National Public Lands Day follows a year of widespread backlash against proposals to develop parts of nine Florida state parks. Last August, the Tampa Bay Times broke news of Department of Environmental Protection plans for lodges, golfing, pickleball courts and disc golf courses on ecologically sensitive lands. This May, in bipartisan response, the Florida Legislature unanimously passed the State Park Preservation Act to increase transparency around government plans for parks and prohibit facilities like golf courses and hotels on protected park land.
BY THE NUMBERS
13.3 million
Visitors to Florida’s national parks (2023)
28.7 million
Visitors to Florida’s state parks and trails (FY 2022-23)
$1.4 billion
Economic impact from Florida’s national parks (2023)
$3.6 billion
Economic impact from Florida’s state parks (FY 2022-23)
Sources: National Park Service data from 2023, Florida DEP data from 2022-23