As a Florida resident, I agree, but it should have been limited to weekends, let everyone have a shot at weekdays, when a lot of us are at work.

@@Perseus109 I don’t understand what you mean? It’s about long stays by non residents.

We will have no problem taking the weekdays off to stay at these spots. As a born Floridian, so happy to have this bill and an opportunity to finally camp.

@@Freedom2Live I think it will help .😁

Ralph, I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I think you will have opportunity now to book during cooler months. Just be ready at the 11 months out to grab those prime sites. I would do the same if I were a resident. I'd recommend Colt Creek Site 2 and 6, which have full hookups. It is the quietest park I've been to as it is 16 miles away from any town. All the best and enjoy the parks!

Thanks for weighing in with your opinion. I guess we’ll see over time how it works out. I do know for several years I’ve been able to book sites at various locations without too much trouble but not the campgrounds you mentioned. Glad you were able to get into those campgrounds.

As a Florida resident, couldn’t agree with you more! We love to share our wonderful state, and it’s not lost on us our economy is greatly aided by out of state tourism dollars, but residents have taken a back seat for too long when it comes to availability at our parks. Those of us who have kids and are not yet retired, shouldn’t have to explain to them that we can’t get a camp site for half the year in our own state because they’re all taken by out of state visitors.

@@Yosho359 Great Point! Why is it a crime to reserve a spot for only the weekend? Thanks.

@@Yosho359agreed. We were finally able to book Bahia for Christmas this year and that never happened before under the old rules. Maybe controversial, but I think they should have went further with higher rates for out of state guests on top of the extra month.

I think the original point in my first video about letting the market set the price would mean that non-residents would be deterred from using the state parks if the entry fees were high enough. That is all you really would need. If a state park is priced higher than a local private campground for non-residents, it would deter bookings and open up capacity for residents without lowering revenue much. Sure, some non-residents would still try and book, but many would go elsewhere. At some price point for non-residents, you let the market and not a rule determine the outcome. My firm belief is that this subsidy won't work long-term for the parks to stay healthy, but if I were a resident, I would take full advantage of the benefit and would be tempted to book a bunch of sites at 11 months out. Cancellation fees are minimal after all.

Thank for sharing your thoughts on the subject. I honestly think the subsidy is a long-term mistake but once a subsidy is given, it usually won’t be retracted. If park quality deteriorates due to less revenue over time, I guess I’ll be correct. We won’t be able to know for some time. Thanks again!

You’ll may still need to book 10 months out as a resident or many of the site may still be taken by nonresidents, especially in the winter. I think planning is still the key for residents. What you do get as a resident (if you plan well) is easier access to the more popular campgrounds. Time will tell how the parks do with new set up. I do think a local is more likely to cancel last minute vs some who is in Florida from a distance. It will be interesting to track. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Yes, I agreed!

@@JohnMarucci I wasn’t trying to be sarcastic to anyone. I understand all your views . I just don’t agree. You did ask for comments! Thanks for sharing John .😁

Thanks Ralph!

Thanks Patrick!

Michigan is also six months out. Interestingly, a state rep tried to introduce a similar bill in Michigan a few years ago and the DNR strongly opposed it citing the animosity it would create among non-resident visitors.

Thanks for sharing!

I think its great that Fla is trying to make the parks available to the people who live there and not for people looking for a cheap place to live.

The issue is you can book all of what is shown in the grid and I can’t. I have to wait a few days to find a site open to change to, and by that time a resident could have taken it. For me, it won’t be worth the risk. I think this killed it for non-residents who plan longer trips, which is fine for most residents. I do think the parks will lose considerable revenue as local campers can cancel plans easily. We’ll see.

If John is right and this causes many sites to be unused midweek revenue goes down, something has to give. Maybe prices will go up to cover the loss. Or maybe it will impact that great homestead exemption on real estate tax. (I greatly enjoyed that tax break when I was a Floridian). Face the facts: tourism drives the economy down there. Don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

Hmm. There are always Floridians at the state parks, even in the winter. So it is not just non-residents camping in winter. I have seen this regularly and the data backs this up. Does the ratio of residents to non-residents change in winter? Yes, depending on the park. I have actual data on this provided by the state parks. You can only stay 14 nights at a park in one booking. Also, campers are permitted up to 56 nights of total occupancy in any one park in each six-month period, defined as Oct. 1 - March 31, and April 1 - Sept. 30 (this is straight from the state park website). Can you explain the "open secret" you mention, as I'm unaware?

You should be able to find weekday sites readily from what I can see. All the best!

I totally agree with you! I like any change .

Just be ready at 11 months out to take advantage of the new law. All the best!

Many thanks!

It’s looking like the same for me. Private campgrounds are likely not an option, so I’ll likely have to try something else. It’s too bad as I was a big supporter of the parks over the past several years.

Thanks for not coming down! Appreciate helping us out ! 😁👍

Yes I've watched all your videos on the State Parks in Florida and they really helped us decide where to try thanks so much for all your work and information. We are at Topsail hill for the first time and I am really happy we came up to this part of Florida. We Love the 30A and all the quaint communities and I am liking the cooler weather as I can get my runs in any time of the day. @@JohnMarucci

Great to hear. I like Topsail and Grayton Beach very much. All the best!

Thanks!

I disagree.

@@ralphp3057 ok

I think you’ll likely see tougher cancellation policies and higher rates in the future. In the short term, if you are a Florida resident, take full advantage of the current situation. You’ll still have to plan ahead, but the opportunity abounds.

Arguing for a better solution is whining? I disagree with your definition of whining. I've enjoyed the state parks for many years and think the current solution is a subsidy for residents and doesn't provide any incentive for the Parks to expand capacity, which is the real problem. State population has increased greatly and yet campsite capacity hasn't kept up with growth. Prices are artificially low and cancellation rates will likely be higher with residents under the new law, yielding less revenue. I think this is fairly easy to see. Imagine next winter in January, when a resident has a weekend booking and a few days prior it is forecasted to be 35 degrees, with heavy rain all weekend. The resident simply cancels and incurs the $17+ cancellation fee. If someone from a distance is booked, they can't cancel, simply because they are far from home and there is no other option. Thus, my reasoning why we'll likely see higher cancelation rates from residents, yielding less revenue to the parks over time. It's a theory that I think will prove out over time evidenced by lower park revenue and thus a deteriorating state of the parks and eventually higher fees to everyone. If I'm wrong, great. My solution was to increase pricing for non-residents to the market rate (see the first video last May). It would deter bookings from non-residents and yield higher revenue from those who choose to pay the higher rate. The only residents the timing advantage will benefit are those who plan out 11 months in advance (many already do so). These folks will have less competition to get sites early. Likely, some residents will book several sites in advance and later choose which to drop (unless the state parks have curtailed concurrent bookings, I'd have to double check this). The timing difference almost guarantees this outcome. No one is able to answer why 11 months and not 6 months is a reasonable time window. Longer out only means more people will speculate and reserve sites they may not use. As far as your argument about all states other than Florida having winter month vacancies, most are closed up north, so I'm not sure what point you are making. In high season up north (summer), you can't get weekend bookings similar to Florida in the winter. Maybe I'm not following your logic here? I do appreciate a good counter argument as to why this new law will work more than just because Florida residents deserve it because they live here and pay taxes. Taxes are a tricky subject for Floridians and you'll want to provide facts on dollars going to state coffers from tourists and seasonal occupants, federal funds (e'g. disaster relief), etc. before asserting that the state is fine without these sources. Like Hawaii, Florida residents benefit greatly from the unique climate and people wanting to be there in winter (and spend money). There are significant subsidies that residents already receive from this geographic location, such as no income tax IMO. In Hawaii, it's free healthcare. Either way, tourism dollars and federal funding of various things contributes to these beneficial subsidies to residents. I really am open to an honest dialog over the issue and will gladly be proven wrong with facts and data. After seeing the first month of real booking data, it only reaffirms my original concerns about what will happen.

It’s looking the same for me unfortunately. I opened Colt Creek in 2018 (was one of the first campers) and have greatly enjoyed the parks. Looks like this will change things for me going forward.

I’m curious how you both would feel if you couldn’t get a camp spot in your home state for more than half the year because they were all taken by non residents? I’m in my 40s with two young children, why should retiree’s from out of state deprive my children of camping in their own state parks?

Thanks so much for staying away ! 😁

I feel fine. That's summer in NH.@@Yosho359

It has become easier and easier to stay away. @@ralphp3057