Government Financial Reports of the State Comptroller for fiscal years 1972/ 

 73, 1975/76, and 1978/79. From 1955 to 1979 local government expenditures for 

 recreation in Northwest Florida increased about 1,195% ($5,732 million to $6.9 

 million). Greatest expenditures were in Escambia and Bay Counties. In 1978- 

 79, local governments spent $12.77 per person for recreation. The highest was 

 $18.92 for Santa Rosa County. 



For all of Florida in 1971-80, the Department of Natural Resources spent 

 $283.85 mill ion on parks and recreation programs. The average annual increase 

 was $4 million. In the same years, the numbers employed in parks and recrea- 

 tion increased from 424 to 765. From 1976 to 1981, the Florida Game and 

 Freshwater Fish Commission spent nearly $17 million annually on freshwater 

 fishery programs and about $13.6 million on wildlife programs. Expenditures 

 for freshwater fisheries increased about $114,000 per year whereas wildlife 

 expenditures increased about $312,000 per year. Employment in these programs 

 also increased. 



OUTDOOR RESOURCES 



Florida is one of the most highly developed recreational areas in the 

 United States. Common are state parks, aquatic preserves, recreational areas, 

 parks, forests, wildlife refuges, historical and archaeological sites, game 

 preserves, and public beaches. A list of State parks and recreation areas in 

 Northwest Florida is given in Table 6. The State also manages scenic and wild 

 rivers, canoe trails, environmentally endangered lands, and fish management 

 areas. 



Table 6. State parks and recreation areas in Northwest Florida (Florida De- 

 partment of Natural Resources, Division of Recreation and Parks 1981). 



County 



Recreation area 



Bay 



Escambia 

 Frankl in 



Gulf 



Okaloosa 

 Santa Rosa 

 Wal ton 



Saint Andrews State Park 

 Big Lagoon, Fort Pickens 

 Fort Gadsden, Saint George Island, John Gorrie 



Museum 

 Dead Lakes, Saint Joseph State Park, Constitution 



Convention 

 Rocky Bayou 

 Bl ackwater River 

 Basin Bayou, Grayton Beach, Ponce DeLeon Springs, 



Eden Gardens 



The Bl ackwater River in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties is under study 

 by the State for designation as a scenic and wild river. State designated 

 canoe trails are the Perdido River (Escambia County), Coldwater Creek (Santa 

 Rosa), Blackwater River (Okaloosa), Yellow River (Okaloosa), and Econifina 



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