Florida State Parks Foundation awards record $150,000 in Park Impact Grants

By AI, Created 5:07 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Ten citizen support organizations supporting Florida state parks will receive grants of up to $15,000 for accessibility, maintenance, visitor experience and resource projects. The Foundation says the 2026 allocation is the largest in the program’s history and will reach parks across all five Florida Park Service districts.

Why it matters: - The grants fund projects that can expand access, improve safety and support day-to-day park operations across Florida. - The record $150,000 allocation gives local Friends groups and parks without a CSO more money for practical improvements. - The program has already funneled nearly $425,000 to dozens of state parks since 2021.

What happened: - Ten citizen support organizations, also known as CSOs or Friends groups, will receive Park Impact Grants of up to $15,000 each. - The Florida State Parks Foundation announced the awards on May 12, 2026, in Tallahassee. - The program was formerly called CSO Small Grants. - The grants are distributed across all five Florida Park Service administrative districts. - Parks leadership and applicants worked together to determine the recipients.

The details: - Friends of Eden Gardens will use funding for a new wheelchair lift at the historic Wesley House in Santa Rosa Beach. - The Wesley House was built in 1897 and is a key visitor attraction at Eden Gardens State Park. - Blackwater Heritage Trail, Inc. will add an accessible walkway connecting the visitor center, parking lot, playground and picnic area in Milton. - Friends of Paynes Prairie will resurface the playground with bonded rubber surfacing in Micanopy. - The new playground surface will create a more stable area for mobility devices and strollers. - The Friends of Fort Cooper will buy freestanding accessible binoculars in Inverness. - Fort Cooper State Park is home to 16 imperiled species and sits within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. - Friends of Gamble Rogers State Park, supporting North Peninsula State Park in Flagler Beach, will install a floating dock. - The new dock will replace a fixed structure and stay accessible year-round and during high tides. - Friends of Sebastian Inlet State Park will purchase a new golf cart for volunteers in Vero Beach. - Friends of Koreshan will buy an all-terrain powered wheelchair in Estero. - The wheelchair will improve access to settlement buildings, historic structures, trails and rugged terrain. - Paynes Creek Historic State Park in Bowling Green will use grant money to improve authenticity and safety for its Seminole War reenactment. - The reenactment budget includes period-appropriate infrastructure, interpreter costumes, a first-aid tent and accessible sanitation facilities. - Friends of Jonathan Dickinson State Park will purchase and install an accessible viewing platform overlooking Kitching Creek in Hobe Sound. - The platform was developed with the University of Miami and will improve access along the Kitching Creek Nature Trail. - Fort Pierce Inlet State Park will get a new utility terrain vehicle capable of traveling on the beachfront in Fort Pierce. - The UTV will help staff and volunteers respond to visitor assistance and wildlife management needs.

Between the lines: - The project mix shows the Foundation is prioritizing accessibility alongside preservation, operations and visitor engagement. - Several awards target features that let more visitors experience parks regardless of mobility level. - The emphasis on equipment and infrastructure suggests the grants are meant to solve immediate, practical needs rather than fund major capital builds. - The Foundation’s leadership framed the awards as a way to improve park experiences statewide and support a wide range of park functions.

What’s next: - The funded projects will move into installation, purchase or completion phases at the recipient parks. - The Foundation is likely to continue the Park Impact Grants program in future years after the record 2026 allocation. - Local Friends groups and park leaders will oversee how each grant is put to use.

The bottom line: - Florida’s Park Impact Grants are becoming a bigger tool for improving access, upkeep and visitor services at state parks, with this year’s awards setting a new funding record.