Pilot program starts March 12, ends Sept. 1
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
Beginning next week, the state is launching a day-use entry reservation pilot program at Wekiwa Springs State Park in a bid to cut down on disruptive traffic overflow and protect the environment.
The pilot program will begin on Wednesday, March 12, and end on Sept. 1, Labor Day. Advanced reservations will open on Monday, March 10. The Florida Park Service will gauge the pilot program’s effectiveness.
To enter the park, all day-use guests need a reservation, including annual passholders. Guests can make reservations up to 60 days ahead of time.
According to Rene Acuna, Wekiwa Springs State Park manager, the reservation pilot program is meant to give visitors a more effortless arrival with faster wait times at the entrance.
“This reservation pilot program is part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing the visitor experience while preserving the natural resources we all cherish,” Acuna said in the manager’s message on the Florida State Parks website. “By managing entry flow, we can reduce congestion and provide a more serene environment for everyone to explore and enjoy. Additionally, this change will allow our team to better focus on maintaining the park’s trails, facilities and wildlife for future generations.”
Financial constraints of the state parks have prevented them from funding law enforcement to manage traffic, hence the decision to add the extra lane, Orange County District 2 Commissioner Christine Moore said.
In 2019, Moore successfully lobbied for a $1 million bill to construct the additional lane outside the Wekiwa Springs State Park entrance to address dangerous head-on collisions there. The lane was at first successful, but it wasn’t enough to address the traffic, leading to the pilot reservation program.
“That was why we went with the lane, because it was a one-time expenditure that we hoped would work, but the road wasn’t long enough,” Moore said. “It still wasn’t long enough to totally avoid the problem. So again, our reservation system is always a backup, and apparently, they felt the need to go to that.”
Because the park has a maximum of 250 parking spaces, entry is restricted once these spaces are full to safeguard the environment from crowds at Wekiwa Springs, Moore said.
“It’s not just about the parking, because I learned this back when we were adding the road for the safety, for the environmental concerns of the spring and the river, and they don’t want more people there at one time, because it could have a deleterious impact on the park,” Moore said.
Moore said she only learned on Friday, Feb. 28, about the pilot program’s implementation. She said she didn’t personally check out the registration program but expressed hope that the pilot program will be effective in regulating traffic.
Each day must have one reservation. Park admission fees will be accepted when reserving online. Visitors will not be charged extra fees when making reservations.
To make a reservation, go to shorturl.at/8xpNC. To send feedback about the reservation program, email ReservationPilotProgram@FloridaDEP.gov.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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