Vetoed funding leads to restricted visitors and admission fees on publicly managed lands.
By RICHARD RAEKE
Published June 30, 2003
INGLIS - Since 1948, hunters and bird-watchers have flocked to state-managed land near here to enjoy a bit of paradise.
Anyone could go there, free of charge. Thousands took advantage of it each year.
Now far fewer will get the chance, and it's going to cost them.
Gov. Jeb Bush last week vetoed funding for the Gulf Hammock Wildlife Management Area in Levy County and three others like it around the state, totaling 82,573 acres.
Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which oversees the area, plans to limit visitors to 400 and charge $275 to enter the publicly managed land.
"This hit us like a brick wall," said Bob Tourigny, spokesman for the 600-member Gulf Hammock Hunters Association.
Public access will be so limited and the price so high that "what we have is a state-run hunting club," said Francis Proveaux, president of the association.
The group formed three years ago to fight a proposed sale of the 24,625 acres, which are owned by Plum Creek Timber Co. and leased by the state. It is the oldest wildlife management area in Florida.
Three other privately owned, publicly managed wildlife areas also lost state money: Lochloosa in Alachua County, Fort McCoy in Marion County and Relay in Flagler County. Five other wildlife areas already are operating under the permit system.
"The governor re-evaluated the priorities and the core mission of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, and this was not one of them," Bush spokeswoman Alia Faraj said.
The state paid Plum Creek $102,000 each year to cover the cost of keeping the Gulf Hammock land open to the public. The money covered such things as trash pickup and road maintenance.
Last year, the wildlife commission signaled its intention to charge for public access.
"Although this program has facilitated low-cost and convenient access for Floridians, it is a program that could be privatized or shifted to the Recreational User Permit Program," the commission wrote. "However, either of these options would inevitably increase access costs for area users."
This year, Proveaux's group hired lobbyist Mark Dunbar to press lawmakers to keep the state money in the budget because members knew it would be difficult in a tight budget year.
They were pleased when the Legislature included $315,577 in the budget for Gulf Hammock and other land, but then Bush used his line-time veto power to kill it.
"This is not a hunting but a recreation issue," said Proveaux, whose group estimates the number of total users in the few thousands. "Once again, they have found another way to get into the general public's pocket."
Under the proposed new rules, anyone wanting to use the land for hunting, horseback riding, hiking, biking or bird-watching will have to buy a permit, sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Some hunters can't afford the permits, Proveaux said. And since the number of permits is limited to 400, at least 200 members of the group won't even get a chance.
The group worries that the change will both limit public access and hurt the local economy, which gets a boost during the main hunting season, from September to November.
The seven fish and wildlife commissioners must approve the plan when they meet Sept. 3. Bow-hunting season in Gulf Hammock starts Sept. 20.
The commission will have to scramble to create the new permit system by hunting season.
"We're going to have to squeeze to get it done," said Nick Wiley, bureau chief of wildlife management for the commission.
- Times researcher Deirdre Morrow contributed to this report. Richard Raeke can be reached at 727 564-3623 or raeke@sptimes.com
