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TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Secretary Michael
Sole today participated in the third consecutive media briefing with Governor Crist, State Division
of Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate and other agency leaders.
Secretary Sole announced the following closure and re-opening of several state parks and recreation
areas as of today, Tuesday, September 2. Closed facilities will remain closed until further notice due
to imminent weather.
State Park and recreation closures and re-openings include:
State Parks Closed (3)
Hontoon Island State Park
2309 River Ridge Road
Deland, Florida 32720
Kissimmee Prairie
33104 N.W. 192nd Avenue
Okeechobee, Florida 34972
Madison Blue Springs State Park
8300 N.E. State Road 6
Lee, Florida 32059
State Parks Re-opening (11)
Bald Point State Park
146 Box Cut Road
Alligator Point, Florida 32346
Big Lagoon State Park
12301 Gulf Beach Highway
Pensacola, Florida 32507
Deer Lake State Park
6721 East County Road 30A
Rosa Beach, Florida 32459
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park
4281 State Road 20
Niceville, Florida 32578
Grayton Beach State Park
357 Main Park Road
Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459
Henderson Beach State Park
17000 Emerald Coast Parkway
Destin, Florida 32541
Perdido Key State Park
15301 Oerdido Key Drive
Pensacola, Florida 32507
St. Andrews State Park
4607 State Park Lane
Panama City, Florida 32408
St. George Island State Park
1900 E. Gulf Beach Drive
St. George Island, Florida 32328
St. Joseph Peninsula
8899 Cape San Blas Road
Port St. Joe, Florida 32456
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
7525 W. Scenic Highway 30A
Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459
Coastal and Aquatic Managed Area (CAMA) Closed (1):
The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM NERR) Environmental
Learning Center is closed to the public for at least two additional weeks. Work is being
done to restore damage the facility received during Tropical Storm Fay. During this time trails,
beach access and recreation activities remain open to the public.
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve
and Environmental Learning Center
505 Guana River Road
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 32082
Visitors can contact state parks directly for the most up to date information on park closures
or visit,
www.FloridaStateParks.org.
Secretary Sole also asked during the briefing that all Florida residents and visitors remain
vigilant and use extreme caution in Florida’s coastal waters this week due to rip currents. A rip
current is a channel of water that rapidly flows away from the shoreline.
While some immediate impacts of Hurricane Gustav may have passed, neither hurricane conditions
nor rough surf is needed for rip currents to be present. Additionally, rip currents can occur at
all beaches, and many residents and visitors do not realize this. Currents should always be considered
before swimming, surfing, wind surfing, kayaking or other coastal activities.
“Rip currents can be life-threatening and should be taken very seriously,” said Secretary Sole. “By heeding
the advice of local officials, beach flag warnings and lifeguards, residents and visitors can reduce their
chances of injury or loss of life.”
According to Chris Brewster, President of the United States Lifesaving Association: “Eighty percent of drowning
deaths at beaches are due to rip currents.”
Extreme weather conditions generally increase rip current conditions, and as the potential for extreme weather
could once again increase as the week progresses, residents and visitors should remain cautious.
For information on dealing with rip currents visit
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/cmp/publications/natl_rip_brochure.pdf [PDF -
5.02 MB].
For additional information, visit
www.dep.state.fl.us or
www.floridadisaster.org. | 
