What To Know About The Latest Proposed National Park In Florida

Although it may be hard to imagine why any outdoor enthusiast would oppose the creation of a new national park, thousands of Floridians have signed a petition to do just that. However, they aren't opposed to protecting the land. Rather, they're pushing back against what they say will be overuse of already protected land. That's because the bill submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives by Florida Rep. Randy Fine proposes converting the existing Ocala National Forest and nearby springs into a Florida Springs National Park. To many, this switch may seem like simple semantics. However, that is far from the case. There are distinct differences between being a national forest and a national park. Those differences are why so many Floridians are fearful that the habitat and wildlife within Ocala National Forest could be detrimentally impacted.

For starters, national forests fall under the stewardship of the Department of Agriculture, while national parks are overseen by the Department of the Interior. This is important for a couple of reasons. For one, the National Park Service, which is the arm of the Interior Department charged with running and maintaining national parks, is set to see a drastic cut in funds — over $1 billion — for 2026. Coupled with the loss of a quarter of its permanent staff already during 2025 along with lost funds for improvements in existing parks, it's easy to see why some are concerned that the National Park Service would struggle to provide adequate staffing and support for a new park property moving forward.

The biggest concern for most who oppose the change, however, is overtourism. So, would changing Ocala National Forest to a Florida Springs National Park make a difference in how many people visit each year? In all likelihood, yes. In fact, even Congressman Randy Fine cited the potential for more visitors as one of his justifications for introducing the bill. He's likely correct that the change would help in that regard, as far more people visit national parks than national forests each year. On the other hand, many national parks are facing an overcrowding crisis.

This trend is reflected in Florida as well. Currently, the Sunshine State has three national parks and three national forests, in addition to several national seashores, historic sites, preserves, and other properties. Everglades National Park, which is on most national park bucket lists, sees over 1 million visitors annually. All three national forests in Florida draw that many tourists combined. National forests are also often much larger in size, further reducing the impact of visitors. By turning Ocala into a national park, detractors say this could lead to issues like soil erosion, extra litter, and commercial development.

As for the difference in visitation between forests and parks, it may seem like a head-scratcher, considering both forests and parks offer plenty of incredible outdoor activities, including free camping at most national forests. However, much of this can be traced to their different missions. National forests are there to protect the health of the land, while national parks are meant to preserve resources, both natural and cultural, and provide recreation and educational opportunities. As a result, activities in national parks are typically more regulated, but these areas are also more developed and feature more amenities. National forest activities are more along the lines of DIY, which doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone but leaves less of an impact. With that in mind, it's easy to understand why so many Floridians want to keep Ocala as a national forest.