- December 7, 2025
I’ve been taking my family to the Florida springs for years. My sons grew up jumping into these waters, and like so many of you, we made unforgettable memories here. A lot of us have swam, hunted, and built our homes and businesses here. These places are not just part of our environment; they are part of who we are as Floridians.
This is why I want to address some misinformation about HR 4656, the Path to Florida Springs National Park Act. Your voice and input are important, so I want you to know what my bill really does and why I believe it is worth becoming law.
Yellowstone has the largest collection of geysers in America, and Florida has the largest collection of natural springs in the world. Both are special and worthy of protection because they are unique. My bill does not turn the springs into a national park overnight. It is a proposal to commission a special resource study to see whether some or all of our springs merit a national park recommendation. The study would follow, which may take years, and would incorporate feedback from federal officials and local stakeholders like you. If that study determines part or all of the springs warrants a national park designation, that can be followed by an additional round of legislation changing the status of the springs to a national park.
For anything to happen, each legislative step would still need to pass the House and Senate and then be signed into law by the president. It would not be a hasty process. If I have learned anything in Washington, it is that there is no such thing as an easy bill.
A special resource study and two separate rounds of legislation are a high bar to hurdle for the springs to become a national park. For perspective, New River Gorge, the most recently added national park, by some accounts took more than 40 years to achieve that status. The springs are one of Florida’s crown jewels, and the rest of the country should see them for what they are: one of America’s greatest national treasures. I love our national treasures, which is why when my boys were born I promised to take them to every national park, a journey we are now close to completing. Having seen so many of them, I can say with certainty that Florida’s springs are just as worthy of the designation as Yosemite, Zion, and the Grand Canyon.
This bill does not close off land, ban hunting, or impose any new rules. Absolutely nothing has changed or will change if it becomes law. There is no new land taken from the state, and it does not put up fences where none exist today. What it does is open a conversation and start a research process.
This bill is an opportunity to examine the environmental, recreational, cultural, and economic pros and cons of making the springs a national park. It is an opportunity to look at whether national recognition would help bring tourism and federal resources to protect these springs for future generations, or whether the status quo is the best path forward. That determination will not be made in secret. It will be made through a transparent process with input from you.
Some of you have called in and said Florida has done a good job protecting our parks already. I agree. Our state parks are the best in the nation, and the people who work there are second to none. Asking whether our springs deserve the recognition of being America’s next national park does not diminish what Florida has done. It builds on it. All I am doing is asking you, yes you, if we should share them on an even greater stage, so that when people talk about Yellowstone or the Everglades, they also talk about Silver Springs or Juniper Run.
I introduced this bill because I want to hear from you. I am grateful for every letter, email, and phone call my office has received. Even when you disagree with me, your input makes the idea better. If you have concerns, questions, or ideas about this bill, or anything else, I invite you to share them with me. You can visit my website at fine.house.gov to leave your comments or reach my office by phone. My staff and I want to hear from you, because the voices of local residents are the most important part of this process. Together, we can make sure that the future of Florida’s springs reflects the love we all share for them, whether that’s as a National Park, a National Forest, or something in between.
