10,000 tourists which was the highest of all county ratios. Employment in 

 eating and drinking establishments in Collier County since 1957 increased from 

 165 to 2,379 and similar employment in Pasco County increased from 150 to 

 1,934. 



According to data provided by Mr. Ed Stalvey of the Florida Department of 

 Revenue, the State of Florida collected over $455 million in sales taxes from 

 all counties in Southwest Florida during fiscal year 1978-79. About 78% of 

 the revenues came from Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Lee Counties. The 26-fold 

 increase in sales tax receipts from 1955 to 1979 probably was due to the 

 increase in the resident population and number of tourists. Sales tax per 

 capita was $32.85 in 1960 and $20.02 in 1979. 



OUTDOOR RECREATION IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA 



RESOURCES AND RESOURCE VALUES 



If large Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas discoveries were made 

 in the Gulf of Mexico near Southwest Florida, onshore environmental impacts 

 could have some effect on recreation that is dependent on natural resources, 

 e.g., estuaries and beaches. The following recreation could be affected by 

 large scale oil and gas offshore development: boating, camping, biking, 

 fishing, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, nature study, surfing, swimming, 

 and water skiing. Beach recreation largely is made up of swimming, sunbath- 

 ing, surfing, beach combing, and shell collecting. For boating. Southwest 

 Florida has an ample supply of docks, boat ramps, and other facilities. 

 Fishing is good and there are many fish camps, bridges, marinas, party and 

 charter boats, and fishing guides. 



Hunting is an outdoor recreation that requires much land, sufficient 

 quantities of game, and a high quality environment. In the forests, uplands, 

 and wetlands in Southwest Florida, most hunting is done with a rifle, but bow 

 and arrow hunting is becoming popular. Major game are turkey, squirrel, deer, 

 wild boar, quail, dove, rabbits, ducks, geese, and coots. 



State and local government expenditures for recreation give some indi- 

 cation of recreational demand and supply. County and local government expend- 

 itures for recreation were examined from County Finances and County Fee 

 Officers Reports for 1950, 1955, 1960, and 1965 and from the local government 

 financial reports of the State Comptroller for fiscal years 1970-71, 1975-76, 

 and 1978-79. A 300-fold increase in local government expenditures were 

 reported for Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Per capita expenditures from 

 local governments for all of Southwest Florida in 1978-79 was $15.60. The 

 greatest per capita expenditure for recreation was $25.40 in Hillsborough 

 County. 



The Florida Department of Natural Resources spent $283.85 million on 

 parks and recreation programs in fiscal years 1971-72 to 1979-80. In those 

 years the average annual increase was about $4 million and the number of park 

 and recreation employees increased 76%. 



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