Location changed for meeting on new Honeymoon Island campsites

A town hall meeting where state officials will discuss building new campsites on Honeymoon Island has been moved to a location that can accommodate more people."

The meeting will now be held 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hale Senior Center in Dunedin, 330 Douglas Ave. 

 The original location was the Dunedin Public Library across the street from the senior center.

The library's capacity is 100 people, Dunedin spokeswoman Courtney King said. The Hale Center can hold 250 people and has a better sound system, she said.

Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are holding the meeting to get more public input on plans to build 45 campsites on 17 acres of Honeymoon Island.

The 2,800-acre barrier island with its popular beaches is one of 56 state parks on a draft list that DEP officials say have the potential to add campsites. The state may hire private companies to build and operate the camping grounds, said Donald Forgione, DEP's park service director.

Forgione said the proposal for new campsites on Honeymoon Island and other state parks wasn't driven by budget cuts. Florida needs more camping areas to encourage visitors to experience outdoor activities and recreation, he said.

DEP oversees 160 parks and one-third of that number has full camping facilities. The 3,500 campsites in use now were built by the state and run by state employees.