Jan-23-2023 10:46 AM
Jan-25-2023 06:04 AM
valhalla360 wrote:I live in South Carolina and vacation at Bahia Honda State Park for 1 or 2 weeks each summer. If Floridians are given even a five second head start at booking reservations then I'll never be able to camp at Bahia Honda again. These sites are always booked the instant they become available. As it is now I've observed 80 to 90% campers there in the summer being from Florida. If this bill passes, it will be 100%.way2roll wrote:
What happened to first come first serve? If you're a Floridian that didn't get a site, you didn't book early enough. It's same with every other CG in the US. Why do I get ads for other state's tourism and state parks if they don't want me there?
It's kind of like when the kids ask to borrow the car. I paid for the car, so if I want to use it, I use it even if they want to borrow it.
No one is suggesting you can't use the state parks just that locals get first chance at the sites. Particularly for working class residents, it may be more of a challenge to hang out on line trying to work the reservations compared to a retired snowbird who has tons of time on their hands and lots of flexibility to switch parks if one is full.
Jan-25-2023 04:56 AM
JaxDad wrote:
From a business finance point of view I think the “subsidy“ idea is being misused, or possibly misunderstood.
If 2 different land owners are looking to calculate their “costs” of operating an RV park, in one case though the land has been in the family for several generations, the other just bought the land (at current market value) and has to carry financing on it, the “costs” will be VERY different. Ditto a park, public or private, that built decades ago and the servicing costs are now paid for.
That is NOT to say the long term owners are “subsidized” in any way, their costs are just lower.
Jan-25-2023 03:47 AM
Jan-25-2023 03:19 AM
Jan-24-2023 08:32 PM
Dutch_12078 wrote:valhalla360 wrote:Dutch_12078 wrote:
You do understand that you're telling the snowbird crowd you don't want our money coming into your state don't you. What we spend for state park sites is only a small part of what we spend at area businesses and attractions.
Not at all. State parks are typically heavily subsidized in terms of operation and facilities and hold prime land that most private parks could never afford.
The snowbird folks who use them heavily are taking advantage of that subsidy. On a modest scale, that's fine but if it's keeping out the folks who pay for the bulk of that subsidy (residents), it's certainly reasonable to tilt the table in favor of the locals a bit more.
Plenty of private parks available for those who want to visit florida.
We don't prefer the state and national parks in Florida for the price as much as we prefer them for the more spacious and often more private sites. Since we're limited to only two week stays at a time, it seems to me the locals have every bit as good a chance of getting sites as we do coming from out of state. We don't do anything any different to reserve sites than Floridians can do. But if you don't think the money we spend at area businesses and attractions has any value, then maybe you're really telling us to go elsewhere and let you guys fight among yourselves for sites. And BTW, the most common license plate I see during our winter stay in Florida state parks is Florida.
Jan-24-2023 08:28 PM
way2roll wrote:
What happened to first come first serve? If you're a Floridian that didn't get a site, you didn't book early enough. It's same with every other CG in the US. Why do I get ads for other state's tourism and state parks if they don't want me there?
Jan-24-2023 07:50 PM
valhalla360 wrote:Dutch_12078 wrote:
You do understand that you're telling the snowbird crowd you don't want our money coming into your state don't you. What we spend for state park sites is only a small part of what we spend at area businesses and attractions.
Not at all. State parks are typically heavily subsidized in terms of operation and facilities and hold prime land that most private parks could never afford.
The snowbird folks who use them heavily are taking advantage of that subsidy. On a modest scale, that's fine but if it's keeping out the folks who pay for the bulk of that subsidy (residents), it's certainly reasonable to tilt the table in favor of the locals a bit more.
Plenty of private parks available for those who want to visit florida.
Jan-24-2023 04:37 PM
valhalla360 wrote:Dutch_12078 wrote:
You do understand that you're telling the snowbird crowd you don't want our money coming into your state don't you. What we spend for state park sites is only a small part of what we spend at area businesses and attractions.
Not at all. State parks are typically heavily subsidized in terms of operation and facilities and hold prime land that most private parks could never afford.
The snowbird folks who use them heavily are taking advantage of that subsidy. On a modest scale, that's fine but if it's keeping out the folks who pay for the bulk of that subsidy (residents), it's certainly reasonable to tilt the table in favor of the locals a bit more.
Plenty of private parks available for those who want to visit florida.
Jan-24-2023 03:36 PM
GTO66 wrote:
I don't think it needs to be a month one hour would be enough. The popular parks/sites are gone within seconds. As far as only taking weekends that can't happen unless the site comes open then. I also think it should cost more to cancel sites at least 50 percent and require the hole reservation to be cancelled.
Jan-24-2023 03:28 PM
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.
Jan-24-2023 02:27 PM
Jan-24-2023 02:17 PM
steveh27 wrote:Half off something you can get a reservation for isn’t that great a deal.
As Bucky said, Let's not forget that Floridians over 65 already get half off pricewise. That does not apply to non-residents.
Jan-24-2023 12:52 PM
ronharmless wrote:Fizz wrote:So no money ever crosses state lines except from tourists. Well there’s a concept Ford, Walmart and every other business in the world might dispute.nickthehunter wrote:
That's a straw argument - I'm pretty sure the Florida residents spend as much money in florida as the snowbirds by about 5 times over.
You never get ahead with that, all you're doing is passing that dollar round and round to the same people. You need a steady influx of new money to make a real profit.
Jan-24-2023 12:29 PM
Fizz wrote:So no money ever crosses state lines except from tourists. Well there’s a concept Ford, Walmart and every other business in the world might dispute.nickthehunter wrote:
That's a straw argument - I'm pretty sure the Florida residents spend as much money in florida as the snowbirds by about 5 times over.
You never get ahead with that, all you're doing is passing that dollar round and round to the same people. You need a steady influx of new money to make a real profit.
Jan-24-2023 09:51 AM