Almost a million visit Lovers Key State Park

Lovers Key State Park is the most visited park in the state with almost 970,000 guests last year alone.

Its beaches and wildlife leave visitors coming back for more and park rangers couldn’t be happier.

“We do everything we can to make visitors comfortable and these numbers are a testament to how hard our staff works,” said Brie Jamison, the park services specialist. “I think it shows how interested people are in coming to visit nature.”

Lovers Key State Park offers plenty of opportunities to see nature throughout its estuaries, canals and beaches.

“You can come out here and get great wildlife views. We have everything that visitors have an interest in,” said park manager Michael Hensley.

Although the attendance figures are an estimate, they helped the Florida State Park system receive national recognition and its second Gold Medal as the nation’s best park system in 2005-2006 year.

“Florida State Parks have been nationally recognized for both its facilities and resources with the prestigious Gold Medal award,” said Florida State Parks Director Mike Bullock. “The designation acknowledges volunteers’ and staffs’ dedication to the best park system in the country.”

That designation is easy for the park system which boasts 159 parks spanning more than 725,000 acres and 100 miles of sandy beaches.

“Lovers Key State Park is special and people know that. We are one of the last beaches in the area,” Jamison said. “Everyone can enjoy something out here.”