Little River Springs now charging for entry

[rddvet]

For the locals that swim there this is a big deal.
I call bs on 'it's to help you' reasoning of the county. Ginnie is safe place, right? Yes I know the latter is privately owned.
Royal will be next...
End rant/

Apparently, veterans can get a free pass.

So are you bothered by the charge? It's a little hard to follow your comments. $5 should make you happy to at least have someone around to stop stupidity if it happens and to help insure the park stays open. Nothing in life is free. People think the springs are just there for us to enjoy and they're "low maintenance". My wife is a scientist working for local/state government to protect the springs. The amount of money the state has to put in to keep our springs safe and protected is much more than you realize. There is continual work to make sure we don't destroy all of our springs. It doesn't really affect Little River, but humans destroying natural aquatic grasses by visiting the springs is becoming a HUGE issue. Charging $5 to help with the efforts or more importantly to decrease the traffic at the springs is a good thing. The public doesn't realize how many springs we as a state have destroyed, and how imperiled our springs are. Add to that most people have no clue how many of our springs are close to be being closed to the public as the state tries to find ways to protect our natural resources.

(This isn't aimed at your SubSea)
If "you" as a diver and particularly a cave diver have an issue with paying $5 to go to Little River after spending $1000s on gear and training I say shut the f up and be happy you're money is going towards preserving our springs.

 

[rddvet]

I think $60 would be an easier sale, even at that price I may not visit enough to break even but I would be willing to forgo that in exchange for the convenience sort of like what I do with the Florida State Parks which also charges $60 for an annual pass.

Same with Ginnie. They've priced me out of an annual pass. My wife and I were annual passholders for 10+ years. The price keeps going up enough that I simply don't dive Ginnie enough to make it worthwhile eventhough it's my favorite florida cave.
Even 5 years ago we never got our money's worth from an annual pass. But being able to go 24/7 made it worth it. But now even the 24/7 isn't worth it. I was told the price just went up again recently.
My personal prediction is in 10 years we won't be able to dive Ginnie. Banning divers on holiday weekends is the start. More idiots are going to keep dying for dumb reasons and Ginnie's going to see how things are being done in Mexico and will outprice our want to dive there. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

 

[InWay2Deep]

My personal prediction is in 10 years we won't be able to dive Ginnie. Banning divers on holiday weekends is the start. More idiots are going to keep dying for dumb reasons and Ginnie's going to see how things are being done in Mexico and will outprice our want to dive there. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

But they can't just cut off access completely right? Given the entrance is on the Santa Fe which is controlled by the state all they can do is prevent people from jumping in from their private land, you show up on a boat all they can do is suck an egg right?

 

[SubseaSports]

@rddvet yes, it bothers me.
Speaking as a local that swims there and other holes. ( I am not a cave diver). It will effect some, not all that enjoy it.
Yes, nothing is free. The county rec budget is over $5 mil. How much of that is for the parks? I don't know. There is funding though.

With that said, I am out of here as this is a cave forum.

 

[Manatee Diver]

If you aren't happy with it, don't buy one. Problem solved.

I wasn't saying other wise, I am allowed to voice my opinion am I not?

I'm not arguing against the changes, my argument is that they would probably get more money if they lowered the price. I'll probably go there 5-10 times a year, so at $125 the day rate makes more sense to me.

 

[Manatee Diver]

I was told the price just went up again recently.

It is still $400 like last year. About 18 visits to break even compared to the day rate.

 

[The Chairman]

Can you buy the year long pass at the park?

I did a look up and got confused with Suwannee State Park. This one is not owned by the state.

 

[rddvet]

But they can't just cut off access completely right? Given the entrance is on the Santa Fe which is controlled by the state all they can do is prevent people from jumping in from their private land, you show up on a boat all they can do is suck an egg right?

I'm not a maritime attorney, but yet from my understanding its hard for them to enforce if you come on a boat. But they can definitely cut off land access. But I aint buying a boat to dive Ginnie

 

[rddvet]

@rddvet yes, it bothers me.
Speaking as a local that swims there and other holes. ( I am not a cave diver). It will effect some, not all that enjoy it.
Yes, nothing is free. The county rec budget is over $5 mil. How much of that is for the parks? I don't know. There is funding though.

With that said, I am out of here as this is a cave forum.

Please don't take my comment as directly directed at you; it was generalizing You're welcome to an opinion and I respect it. It does "suck" to have to pay, but it is what it is. And my point was that we as a society in florida are destroying the springs. Alot of that is politics, alot of it is people don't care, and a lot is people not understanding the springs. Anytime there's a crowd at a spring, it's likely being damaged. My point is that unfortunately limiting or taming down access is beneficial for the springs and something that likely needs to be done. It's going to ruffle some feathers, but it is what it is. You can't imagine how many springs in florida are now black mud puddles due to our lack of protection of them. Obviously agriculture and the other dumb things we allow industry to do is a major part of it, but people are a big factor too and easier to control than passing a law to limit agriculture or water use.

 

[rjack321]

If you aren't happy with it, don't buy one. Problem solved.

Personally, I'm glad they have hired a park attendant for the weekends and I'm happy to pay the user fee associated with it to help off-set the costs.

I compare how FL is running their state and local parks with how things are done here in my home state of WA.
We have parking passes for federal lands ($30 for trailhead parking), most people buy these annually. And a different $30 annual parking access passes for state lands, including state parks. So FOR BOTH that would be $60 for annual parking nearly every state park, recreation site, and federal trailhead in the whole state outside of national parks - which is less than half of a Suwannee County pass....

Most local parks are either free or have pay by the day parking. There is bus service to most parks and expanded bus service to local trailheads (including on federal lands) in summertime. There is never an entry fee if you walk/bike/bus to parks or public lands (perhaps with a rare exception I can't think of at the moment).

I can't help but see $5 day passes and $125 annual passes as a privatization of public land - and quite honestly pricing poor people out of recreation. Access to green space is a major determinant of health outcomes and at least in this part of the world - we are doing everything we can to increase green space and recreational opportunities for poor and marginalized people. Over 20% of Suwannee County lives below the poverty line.

This is one of the main reasons I probably won't ever dive Little River again (or any other FL Spring), and it has nothing to do with the $5 fee which is trivial for me personally.