Category: Florida State Parks

Volunteer workamping positions in Florida State Parks updates and only viewable by members

Workamping at Lafayette Blue Springs SP

March 5, 2018March 14, 2020 Jolene MacFadden

We received an email last month we thought we would share with our readers.

Dear Florida Park Service Friend and Volunteer,

Thank you for your assistance to the Florida Park Service and the hard work, continued support and hours of dedication to caring for and protecting our resources.

My name is JoAnna Lemmon and I am the volunteer coordinator at Lafayette Blue Springs State Park located in Mayo, Florida. I am a native Floridian and a native of Lafayette County so my excitement for this park and ability to work here grows with each experience. My goal is to build a great resource of volunteers for Lafayette Blue Springs State Park so long lasting work relations and an appreciation for the park remains at the center of every project.

Florida State Parks

New RV Camping Florida State Parks

February 21, 2018March 14, 2020 Jolene MacFadden

If you haven’t heard there are new RV camping areas in two Florida State Parks. One just became a state park and the other just added camping to their park. Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park has been a private campground and recreational area for quite a number of years but recently the family sold it to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Parks Division. Since we have several “Blue Springs” state parks it is important to put the right name on it or you might just get a camping reservation where you are not expecting it.

Florida NonProfit Workamping, Florida State Parks

St Joseph Peninsula State Park WrapUp

January 30, 2014September 15, 2025 Jolene MacFadden

Now that I finally have help with our craft business I should be able to get some articles posted to my various blogs and will try to start posting to Our Great Adventure every week. There is so much to report to you guys that we will start with a wrap-up of St. Josephs Peninsula, then the wrap-up with Dade Battlefield and then an update on our current assignment here at Myakka River State Park. I will be trying to get the movies made for the State Park Reviews and uploaded to YouTube as soon as I can. We have very limited internet service here and will probably have to go down to the Myakka Outpost and use their wireless service to upload the videos once I get them done.

Campground Host Experiences, Florida State Parks, Park Info, RV and Campers, Volunteer At A Florida State Park, Workamping

William J Rish Recreational Park

September 21, 2013September 15, 2025 Jolene MacFadden

William J Rish Recreational Park is a great place to spend time at the beach. The park is strictly for Florida residents with disabilities. Their families and/or care-givers are allowed to come too! “It is named in memory of the state legislator who created it—Representative William Joseph Rish. It’s often called Billy Joe Rish Park, because locals referred to their longtime legislator as Billy Joe Rish.”

Florida State Parks, Park Info, RV and Campers, Volunteer At A Florida State Park

What Else Can Go Wrong

September 1, 2013September 15, 2025 Jolene MacFadden

Have you ever had one of those days where absolutely everything goes wrong? I mean you try to prepare for some things but when mother nature and the cosmos conspire against you what can you do? We thought we were going to have a smooth transition from TH Stone Memorial St Josephs Peninsula State Park to Dade Battlefield Historic State Park. We planned on leaving on the last day of the month, travel about halfway down and spend the night somewhere before continuing on and beginning on new assignment on September 1st. Our last volunteer coordinator even allowed us to have the last two days off so that we could do any last-minute cleaning and get ready to travel. That is when we started having problems.

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Florida State Parks, Funding Our Adventure, Lessons in Camping, Workamping

One Month Down and One to Go

July 31, 2013September 15, 2025 Jolene MacFadden

We have been here at TH Stone Memorial St. Josephs Peninsula State Park as campground hosts for 1 month. It has been rainy, hot, stormy as well as nice breezes off of the Gulf of Mexico. The work is sometime hard but mostly due to the heat. We get up early in the morning before the sun rises to clean two bath houses. This can take us sometimes 2 to 3 hours to do depending on how bad they are and how many interruptions we get. We have been assigned to the Gulf Breezes campground area. Originally, we were assigned to the Shady Pines campground which is on the St. Joe Bay side of the peninsula underneath pine trees and in between the palmetto bushes. Due to the shortage of campground host volunteers during this time of year we were reassigned to the Gulf Breezes side and are responsible for the entire campground 5 days a week. The Volunteer Coordinator is Ron and he seems nice but the manager of the park, Mark, does have some unrealistic goals for the campground hosts.

Campground Host Experiences, Florida State Parks, Lessons in Camping, Volunteer At A Florida State Park, Workamping