A federal hiring freeze that includes the National Park Service couldn’t come at a worse time for South Florida parks, when winter weather sends visitor numbers soaring.
"We know that people want to go out to Biscayne National Park and snorkel and have a good experience. And it takes rangers, it takes seasonal park staff for them to be able to do that," said Melissa Abdo, the regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association
" Or go down to Flamingo and see the beautiful bird life that comes down in the winter here, and see all the amazing swamp life out in the Everglades. And have a clean bathroom to go to," Abdo said.
She says about 2,000 permanent and seasonal jobs have been affected. The freeze could also exacerbate a massive maintenance backlog that amounts to more than $23 billion as of 2023.
In the Southeast, which includes Florida’s 11 national parks, preserves and monuments, the total is more than $3 billion.
READ MORE: Florida's national parks are at their loveliest - and visitors have two new reasons to come
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