The Florida State Parks encompass the majority of the lands that fall under the authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There are 161 such entities, including nature reserves, recreation areas, and historic sites, which can be found in every corner of the state. New park lands are added from time to time, as landowners make gifts of property to the state, and when municipalities choose to turn over control of their historical sites to the state. The state park system is divided into five administrative districts.
The parks and other entities are serviced by a statewide system of park rangers. The state park system also hosts an AmeriCorps chapter, called AmeriCorps Florida State Parks.
Several of the state parks were formerly private tourist attractions which were bought by the state of Florida to preserve their natural environment. These parks include the Silver River State Park, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, Rainbow Springs State Park and Weeki Wachee Springs.
Read more about Florida State Parks: Among The Best Anywhere
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—Robert Penn Warren (1905–1989)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)