JoeH wrote:
It's about time Florida did the same. Residents pay for the parks via taxes and should be able to use them. There are plenty of commercial campgrounds to accommodate visitors from other states.
To put it in perspective, there are only 3600 campsites in the state park system, that people are trying to reserve and there are well over 100,000 commercial campsites that those visitors can use.
Well alrighty then. Sounds like at least one resident doesn't want low life out of towners to visit their precious state parks. Im at least grateful that your lawmakers don't ban out of state visitors from your state parks.
I will continue to use your state parks as long as I can make a reservation, and when I can't, I reckon I'll just take my tourism dollars elsewhere. The price of your 100,000 commercial campsites can be over the top. Why? Because they can? And if people didn't pay it, they wouldn't be sold out. Trust me, these RV parks are equally hard to get reservations at during the winter. Is that the real reason for the complaints? That Floridians don't want to pay the higher cost at RV resorts, so lets force our visitors to do that?
I don't know what other states do the same thing. I don't believe Georgia does, and there are a lot of nice places to hang out here in Georgia and we don't discriminate.
If residents have a month head start on reservations, then I think it will likely all but eliminate out of state visitors going to the top state parks. If those parks are truly sold out the vast majority of the time, then a handful of lucky Floridians will have an extra shot, but the majority of your residents will likely still not be able to take advantage. Then what will they complain about?
It is as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. Simple is everyone is treated equally and fairly. Complicated is trying to implement some sort of favoritism process which will favor a few, but still impact the masses. Then someone will change it again to avoid some segment of society pitching a fit... Lather, rinse, repeat. Then someone will dream up a solution to treat everyone fairly and not discriminate.
Mike
