Florida has a wealth of natural resources that support outdoor recrea- 

 tion. The State has 22 major natural springs that discharge over 3 billion 

 gallons per day (Bgal/d) to form lakes and rivers. The combined flow of all 

 springs in Florida is about 5 Bgal/d. Florida's 7,700 lakes comprise over 

 3,200 mi2 of water area and it has about 1,700 rivers and streams that total 

 nearly 12,000 miles in length. 



Florida's coastline is about 11,000 miles long, much of which is com- 

 prised of high energy beaches. Florida's barrier islands provide a wide range 

 of recreational opportunities including fishing, swimming, hunting, camping, 

 and nature study, located in areas such as parks, natural areas, wildlife 

 refuges, and national seashores. Barrier islands have numerous motels, 

 restaurants, gift shops, amusement parks, marinas, golf courses, tennis 

 courts, and swimming pools. Florida has 13 registered historic places and 7 

 national natural landmarks located on its barrier islands. 



Florida has 173 (more or less, depending on how they are classified) 

 recreation sites. This includes 30 preserves, forests, and State parks (Fig- 

 ure 2), 35 State aquatic preserves (Figure 3), 48 State wildlife management 

 areas (Figure 4), and 32 special feature sites, 17 preserves, 7 museums, and 4 

 ornamental gardens (Florida Department of Natural Resources 1981). 



The per capita expenditures of U.S. residents for hunting and fishing for 

 1955, 1960, and 1970 is shown in Table 1. These data will be used later in 

 this report to help estimate the magnitude and value of the fishing and hunt- 

 ing industries in Southwest Florida. 



The Governor's office (1980) has developed a set of goals and priorities 

 for 1981-83. Those relating to outdoor recreation are as follows: 



Goal : to improve outdoor recreation opportunities through devel- 

 opment and implementation of a new outdoor recreation plan. 



Pol icies : (1) The State shall continue acquisition and develop- 

 ment of State parks with emphasis on high quality resources and 

 public accessibility. (2) The State shall provide recreation 

 programs, sites, and facilities that best meet public demand. (3) 

 The State shall expand recreational opportunities to include user- 

 oriented recreation, particularly in and around urban areas to 

 provide convenient and energy conservative outdoor recreation. 

 (4) The State shall emphasize inter-agency coordination and 

 cooperation in providing improved and diversified outdoor recrea- 

 tion opportunities. 



STATE PROGRAMS 



The Florida Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Recreation 

 and Parks has the authority to acquire, develop, and operate State parks and 

 recreation areas. The Division is responsible for administering a comprehen- 

 sive recreation program. State funds from the Land and Water Conservation 

 Funds are matched by Federal funds to purchase parks and recreation sites. The 

 Division develops a State Outdoor Recreation Plan every 5 years and provides 

 technical assistance on outdoor recreation to local governments through the 



162 



