In general, parks offer picnic shelters on a first-come, first-served basis. However, some picnic shelters may be reserved. Fishing locations are abundant in Florida's state parks. Check the individual park's webpage for specific information. Resource protection is foremost at all state parks, and swimming with manatees is not allowed.
The Florida Park Service includes drones in the category of "other aerial apparatus. The primary reason for our very limited occasions of drone use i. It has been observed that nesting birds view drones as potential predators and are likely to abandon nests or avoid otherwise ideal habitat areas if drones have been regularly spotted in those locations.
We do not want this to occur within our park conservation areas, which are intended to be sanctuaries for our native wildlife. Our statewide park rules, based on regulations set out by the Florida Administrative Code, state that metal detecting is prohibited on all state park lands, except for coastal parks.
In these parks, metal detecting may occur within certain beach areas located between the toe of the dune and the high-water line, as designated by the park manager. Metal detecting in submerged locations is not permitted. Objects with historic association anything over 50 years old are not permitted to be kept by park visitors, even if the objects are found in the areas approved for metal detecting. These objects are archaeological artifacts, and title to such is vested in the Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources.
If you plan to visit a state park with a beach, we recommend calling ahead to the park to inquire if there is any section of the beach where you can do metal detecting and if there are any restrictions you should be aware of i. View our list of all state parks with beaches. Be aware that a limited number of these parks are inland, and their "beach" is on a lake, river, spring, etc. Because these are not coastal parks, metal detecting is not allowed at these locations.
