Office of Park Planning

As one of the five bureaus/offices comprising the central office of the DEP Division of Recreation and Parks (DRP), the Office of Park Planning provides a wide range of technical support and professional services beneficial to the protection and management of the units of the Florida State Park System. 

Specific services include:

• Coordination of the development and evaluation process for unit management plans of the park system, including natural and cultural resource management and sustainable public recreational access.
• Assessment of land use planning needs and opportunities in response to changing environmental and social conditions.
• Evaluation and recommendation of lands for potential acquisition and inclusion in the Florida State Park System.
• Evaluation of requests for use of park lands by external entities.
• Maintaining accounts of the existing acreages and facilities of the Florida State Park System. (Florida State Parks Statewide Recreational Facilities Inventory and Report)
• Facilitation of participatory processes for considering interagency and community interests in state park planning.

LAND PLANNING

LAND ACQUISITION AND ADMINISTRATION

Image The Land Acquisition and Administration section of the Office of Park Planning conducts part of the process for acquiring new park lands and receives requests for uses of existing park lands by external applicants. Such requests are typically for the purposes of utilities, public transportation/roadways, research, or access to landlocked parcels.

Image The Land Planning section of the Office of Park Planning coordinates the management planning process for each unit of the park system, including management of natural and cultural resources and provision of public recreational access. This process entails various levels of careful evaluation of needs and opportunities with a community engagement process for input from partnering land-managing agencies, local governments, user groups, and the general public.