Florida State Parks Foundation Announces Major Partnership with Gulf Power Foundation on Park Enhancement Projects across Panhandle

The Florida State Parks Foundation is partnering with the Gulf Power Foundation on three park enhancement projects in the Panhandle worth over $145,000.

“We are delighted to partner with the Gulf Power Foundation on these projects which will greatly enhance the visitor experience at three of Florida’s most popular, award-winning state parks,” said Gil Ziffer, Foundation President.                                         

“This is our first partnering with the Gulf Power Foundation and it is great that they have chosen one park project in each of their three regions,” he said.

The projects include a new campground playground at Big Lagoon State Park, which attracts 110,000 visitors annually. Their old playground was destroyed due to hurricane damage and it is hoped that work can start shortly. 

Henderson Beach State Park, which has 385,000 visitors a year, is receiving grant funds to refurbish their campground beach access boardwalk. Work is expected to start next month on a small section of the boardwalk with the bulk of the project scheduled to start after the peak summer visitation months.

The third project is for trail improvements to the Gator Lake Trail at St. Andrews State Park which has 472,000 visitors a year. The project will start in June and will include new interpretive panels for the trail as well as benches. The trail suffered significant damage during Hurricane Michael.

“The beauty of Northwest Florida is one of the treasures of this region, so maintaining these state parks is a high priority,” said Sandy Sims, executive director for the Gulf Power Foundation. “The Gulf Power Foundation is proud to be able to assist with this important work. Maintaining the environment is part of our mission to support our communities in Northwest Florida.”