Updated November 10, 2026 by Bob Rountree
Admission fees will be suspended at all Florida State Parks on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday.
In its announcement on Monday afternoon, state officials noted that many state parks have historical ties to military service:
- Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, in Alachua County, where a frontier trading post facilitated commerce between Native Americans and British settlers.
- San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, in Wakulla County, where control of the fort shifted during periods of British rule.
- Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park, Amelia Island State Park and Fort Clinch State Park, in Nassau County, which were connected to small military conflicts and border tensions with the neighboring colony of Georgia.
- Avalon State Park, in St. Lucie County, the site of a World War II training camp used to develop the frogmen who would later become the U.S. Navy SEALs.
- Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, in Monroe County, which played an important role in both the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
In addition to a free day-use pass on Veterans Day, Florida State Parks offer year-round benefits to military veterans:
- A 25% discount on annual entrance passes for active-duty and honorably discharged veterans.
- Free lifetime military entrance passes for veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as for surviving spouses and parents of those who died in combat.
