Here are some facts that you may not know about Florida's State Park System:
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, in Key Largo, was the first underwater park in the United States. The Florida Park Service was created in 1935. Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, in Key West, has the largest collection of Civil War armaments in the United States. The tallest waterfall in Florida is 70 feet high, and is located in Falling Waters State Park, located in Northeast Florida. The state is working on the biggest Everglades restoration project in the world, with a cost of $10.9 billion.* The Florida State Park System covers more than 700,000 acres.* 181,904 scientific tests were conducted in the Florida Parks within the last fiscal year.* Over 24 million people visited the Florida Parks within the last fiscal year.* The largest park in the Florida State Park System is Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, located in Southwest Florida. It covers 70,836 acres. The Civilian Conservation Corps helped develop eight of Florida's state parks.
* Reflects the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Source: Florida Department of Enviornmental Protection
