Florida officials approved the purchase of 2,483 acres in Walton County Tuesday to establish the state’s newest park.
- During a meeting of the Governor and Florida Cabinet, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis approved the land acquisition from The Trust for Public Land. The property is located approximately one mile north of the Eglin Reservation within the Upper Shoal River watershed.
“Florida’s natural resources are vital to our way of life and are a cornerstone of our economy,” Patronis said. “Investing in land conservation protects our environment and ensures that our children and grandchildren can enjoy Florida’s natural resources for generations to come.”
The new state park will provide opportunities for camping, hiking, biking, and other low-intensity recreational activities compatible with the adjacent Air Force base. The Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Recreation and Parks will manage the property.
The acquisition is part of a larger conservation initiative in the Upper Shoal River area, which has been identified as environmentally significant since 2003. The property contains habitats for several protected species, including the Florida black bear and gopher tortoise.
- The land purchase serves multiple environmental functions, including supporting aquifer recharge and helping maintain water quality in local water bodies, according to state documents. It lies within the Northwest Florida Sentinel Landscape, a designation highlighting its importance for both conservation and military compatibility.
The property has been managed for silviculture in a less obtrusive manner than typical commercial timberlands, according to state documents, providing good opportunities for habitat restoration and environmental preservation.
Officials note that the site’s location and characteristics align with state goals for protecting biodiversity while providing public recreational access. The purchase preserves part of the Eglin to Blackwater Critical Ecological Linkage area, supporting regional conservation efforts.
6 Responses
Can we get a more exact location of the park???
It would be nice to know where it will be located. What about designs and will it have primitive camping or a combination of RV sites. What, no artist rendition?
Give the people of Walton county more information, please!
Here goes all our natural Woods & Wild Life . Next thing you know they’ll be building Businesses. And Gas Stations . And Big Houses .
It is amazing on one hand Walton county will purchase 2,000 acres for a state park and claim it is all about the enviroment amd protecting the Florida Black Bear and Gopher Tortoise. Yet, with the other hand allow a rezoningfor a 3.6 mile race track be built for big boys money at the sametime destroying habitats of the Florida black bear and Gopher Tortoise.
It is my understanding that the Earnhardt foundation may be trying to push that track to NASCAR.
Right now it features “ car-dominimums” and purchased lot of 440 acres
It’s amazing that the State of Florida can come up with money to purchase 2483 acres for a new park. But Caladesi Island State Park, Cayo Costa State Park and Hontoon Island State Park can rack up decades of disrepair. Repair the state parks that you already have! Now that Milton has devastated the parks. Don’t Band-Aid them.