Bandaid
Holcomb, New York USA
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Hello,
Very quietly, Brevard County Commissioners have restructured the camping fees at our County Park campgrounds. This apparently was due to complaints from county residents of not being able to reserve sites during the winter months, because of the extended stay "snowbirds"
The result was a raising of the basic camping fees by 200% now being $48. per day for a water and electric site. If you want full hookups, or a water view, you pay a premium fee on top of the daily fee!
Also, the length of stay has been dropped from 169 days to 90 days. All in all, this seems a bit excessive and I am a County Resident!. If I am going to have to pay a premium to get a full hookup site, I might as well go to a private campground and have more amenities!
Bandaid
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2edgesword
New York
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Bandaid wrote:Hello,
Very quietly, Brevard County Commissioners have restructured the camping fees at our County Park campgrounds. This apparently was due to complaints from county residents of not being able to reserve sites during the winter months, because of the extended stay "snowbirds"
The result was a raising of the basic camping fees by 200% now being $48. per day for a water and electric site. If you want full hookups, or a water view, you pay a premium fee on top of the daily fee!
Also, the length of stay has been dropped from 169 days to 90 days. All in all, this seems a bit excessive and I am a County Resident!. If I am going to have to pay a premium to get a full hookup site, I might as well go to a private campground and have more amenities!
Bandaid
When is this supposed to go into effect? The website is still showing lower rates for residents...
Wickham Park Campground Rates
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tomman58
Southeast Michigan
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We stay in Fl all winter and have done so for years. Yes, it is snowbird time and your state make mega-millions by us being here. We stay in the less populated areas and drive to the others and put up with gobs of traffic and hour long waits for restaurants. Get over it, we don't like the higher costs for living the winter here but it is better than snow. Half of Canada is down here, surprised you aren't grieving that!
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azdryheat
Tucson, AZ
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If you're a county resident then why does your signature say Holcomb New York.
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johnhicks
Wandering below the Gnat Line
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That's a preposterous increase, at what point does it become "gouging."
I don't expect any locals will want to stay at those campgrounds which are non-resorts in non-resort areas for those prices. I won't be back. Watch for the county to close and sell those campgrounds in a year or two due to lack of use.
-jbh-
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wapiticountry
Mountain West
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Sounds like they actually have a bit further to go. Even with the rate increase the rate is below what the average private park charges. Allowing 90 day stays is still ridiculous, though not as ridiculous as the previous 5 1/2 months. No one person should be allowed to monopolize a public RV site for anywhere close to that long. 21 days would be my maximum.
Public parks, and their RV sites should be for use by everyone, not the lucky few who get through the reservation system and tie up sites for months at a time.
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johnhicks
Wandering below the Gnat Line
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The rate is significantly above state parks, and these parks are definitely not in the class of most Florida state parks. Running off everyone isn't the solution.
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ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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Politicians do as they please--I am involved in a situation where they raised the property tax on minerals 600% yet have not yet set the tax amount and won't until a month after the deadline to appeal. Now just how is that supposed to work?
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Scottiemom
Florida
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Joined: 09/09/2003
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I'm not sure raising the rate 200% is the answer to what they perceived to be a problem. That may just keep local residents from signing up. We used to camp at Wickham park but haven't now for years. It was due to the homeless, the dead bodies (yes, dead bodies) and inconsiderate campers, i.e., loud music, loud and profane yelling, etc. They had no restrictions on campers and one group would tow their motorhomes in because they wouldn't run. They all camped around the bathhouses and basically took them over to where you didn't even feel comfortable using the laundry.
What caused the most problem, in my estimation, was the 5+ months of camping. Rules weren't enforced and too many homeless. The changes they made to address that resulted in removing the habitat for many of the animals which we enjoyed seeing.
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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Bandaid wrote:All in all, this seems a bit excessive and I am a County Resident!.
Bandaid
Bandaid: Your profile says you are not a resident of Brevard County but a resident of Holcomb, NY.
Scottiemom wrote:I'm not sure raising the rate 200% is the answer to what they perceived to be a problem. That may just keep local residents from signing up. We used to camp at Wickham park but haven't now for years. It was due to the homeless, the dead bodies (yes, dead bodies) and inconsiderate campers, i.e., loud music, loud and profane yelling, etc. They had no restrictions on campers and one group would tow their motorhomes in because they wouldn't run. They all camped around the bathhouses and basically took them over to where you didn't even feel comfortable using the laundry.
What caused the most problem, in my estimation, was the 5+ months of camping. Rules weren't enforced and too many homeless. The changes they made to address that resulted in removing the habitat for many of the animals which we enjoyed seeing.
Dale
Seems to me that those parks are being abused. Raising the rates may start to address it but it also needs enforcement to clear out the crime issue.
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