BRADENTON, Fla. — They're known for their natural beauty, history and fun recreational opportunities, but national parks also generate a lot of money for their surrounding communities.
Florida is home to 11 National Park Service lands. In 2021, 13.4 million visitors to those parks spent an estimated $855 million dollars in the state, supporting nearly 12,000 jobs, according to a report by the National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior.
One of those parks is a bit of a hidden gem, located in the Tampa Bay area. De Soto National Memorial is on the smaller side, but it still packs a punch.
"I grew up four miles from the gates of this park,” said Daniel Stephens, the lead park ranger at De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton.
If there's anyone who knows everything about De Soto National Memorial — it’s Daniel Stephens.
"I was here so often that the park rangers just put a hat and a badge on me," he joked.
At a young age, Stephens was immersed in the natural beauty, the trails and the park's place in 16th century Florida history.
"You have at least 28 to 30 acres worth of nature to explore and breathtaking views of the Manatee River and Tampa Bay," he added.
Over the years he's watched the surrounding area grow, along with the number of park visitors, who may have helped spark some of that growth.
"Well over the last year since COVID-19, we have seen across the entire National Park Service an uptick in visitation,” Stephens explained.
More than 297 million people visited national park properties last year, spending an estimated 20.5 billion dollars on gas, food and lodging in nearby regions — adding $42.5 billion to the national economy, the most in at least a decade.
Even a small park like De Soto can have a big impact. Where visitors brought in nearly $15 million for the local economy and out of those visitors 95% aren't local.
“We do get a fair amount of people from all over the United States as well as some international,” Stephens added. “Over the years since I've been here, we've expanded the footprint of what we do here 100 times over.”
The memorial hosts a ton of events, camps and even historical reenactments, keeping folks entertained and educated in the great outdoors.
“I do love the park. I love the mission. And I love what we do here,” Stephens said.