Senate Bill 1076

    Florida Senate - 2000        (NP)                      SR 1076

    By Senators Sullivan, Bronson, Forman, Latvala, Hargrett,
    Carlton, Diaz-Balart and Laurent




    22-717A-00

  1                    Senate Resolution No.     

  2         A resolution honoring Florida's state parks,

  3         voted "America's Best"; commending the Division

  4         of Recreation and Parks of the Department of

  5         Environmental Protection for receiving the 1999

  6         National State Park Gold Medal, signifying that

  7         Florida's state park system is the best in all

  8         50 states; recognizing July, 2000, as "Parks

  9         and Recreation Month" in celebration of the

10         benefits of all state, national, and local

11         parks in Florida.

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13         WHEREAS, Florida's massive and diverse state park

14  system, with over 500,000 acres and 151 park properties, has

15  received national recognition for its state-parks

16  partnerships, its cutting-edge resource management, its

17  recreation programs, and its innovative ecotourism marketing

18  initiatives, and

19         WHEREAS, more than 1,900 public and private partners

20  have been recruited to help provide expanded resource-based

21  recreational opportunities for the 15 million annual visitors

22  to Florida's state parks, and

23         WHEREAS, some 60 citizen support organizations assist

24  Florida's state parks, and in 1998 volunteers provided 760,000

25  hours of service, the equivalent of 365 full-time employees,

26  and

27         WHEREAS, Florida's award-winning "PARKnership" program

28  has paired 45 schools with 34 Florida state parks for

29  environmental education opportunities, and its "Partnership in

30  Parks," a public-private matching program, has resulted in $1

31  million in park improvements, and

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    Florida Senate - 2000        (NP)                      SR 1076
    22-717A-00




  1         WHEREAS, since 1996, attendance at Florida state parks

  2  has increased by two million visitors, a 17-percent increase,

  3  and self-generated revenues, which are used to help operate

  4  Florida's state parks, have increased by 30 percent over the

  5  same period, and

  6         WHEREAS, in addition to preserving one-half million

  7  acres in Florida's finest, most pristine natural areas for

  8  enjoyment by this and future generations, Florida's state park

  9  system has a direct and positive economic impact of $273

10  million and has created 8,100 jobs for Florida's communities,

11  and

12         WHEREAS, at the National Recreation and Park

13  Association Annual Congress last November in Nashville,

14  Tennessee, the National Sporting Goods Association's National

15  Sports Foundation, Inc., awarded the prestigious 1999 State

16  Parks Gold Medal to Florida's state park system, recognizing

17  it as the best state park system in America, and

18         WHEREAS, the National Recreation and Park Association

19  has designated July, 2000, as National Parks and Recreation

20  Month in the United States in order to emphasize and celebrate

21  the importance of state, national, and local parks and the

22  immense benefits of parks and recreation in our society, NOW,

23  THEREFORE,

24

25  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:

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27         That the Florida Senate commends the employees of the

28  Department of Environmental Protection's Division of

29  Recreation and Parks for their dedication and commitment that

30  helped Florida receive this national honor; encourages all

31  Floridians to support Florida's state parks, voted "America's

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    Florida Senate - 2000        (NP)                      SR 1076
    22-717A-00




  1  Best"; and, along with the National Recreation and Park

  2  Association, recognizes July, 2000, as National Parks and

  3  Recreation Month.

  4         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution,

  5  with the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to David B.

  6  Struhs, Secretary of Environmental Protection; Bob Ballard,

  7  Deputy Secretary of Environmental Protection; and Fran P.

  8  Mainella, Director of the Division of Recreation and Parks, as

  9  a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida Senate.

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