If it is about the money, then why not charge frisbee players additional fees for the priviledge of playing frisbee. Charging additional fees to certain users depending on how they choose to use the park is discriminatory. There should be ONE fee if any fee at all.
For the minimal cost of the annual pass I feel it's a great deal. Many of them have benches and other diver friendly things. Most important is that they allow us to dive in most of them, it would be just as easy for them to say "no diving" and we would be SOL. I for one don't have a problem with the fees.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanes
Quote:
Originally Posted by cavediver27
Absolutely correct! The fees we pay to dive in the Florida SPs are a bargin by any standard and we are fortunate to have a parks system that is so cave diver friendly.
The question was not whether you feel ok with paying the fee it was Why??? Is there a fee. The best guess answer is there is addition costs involved with allowing diving. the park staff has to police the activity. You could ask the same question about any additional fee charged. Why is there a fee to Camp? Same answer the addition man hours involved justify the fee. Government fees have alway been with us and always will. Get used to it and with the current state of the Florida Budget expect more or increased fees.
I forgot to mention If you buy an Annual pass there is no price increase If you bring friends and buy a Family pass everyone gets in on the pass.
Three points:
1) Price discrimination is a good thing on the whole. And the parks perform a useful social function. We divers get way more utility out of the parks - if I were consulting to them, I'd recommend they put the annual pass UP. It's not like demand would reduce as a result.
2) As others have pointed out, we're an expensive group to service. looking to the long run, we as a group should be WILLING to pay extra, to remain an important group for the parks and to be influential in their decisions.
3) You can always vote wtih your feet if you really think it's expensive. If you choose NOT to dive there, then they lose the revenue! I suspect however that none of us is likely to do that.
Now, what I'd like to see them do is price by option. For an extra $10, I get to dive solo. For another $10, I get to use a scooter. How much would most of you pay to use a scooter in Peacock? THAT would be useful price discrimination, and they'd make a fortune out of me for one! Right now I rarely dive there because I love diving solo. I know there are lots of others like me. It's costing them a lot of money.
...But... and this further complicates the issue... do we really want to find ways to make the parks more attractive? The more attractive a cave is, the more it gets used... and damaged. It's something of a conundrum.
Careful, it wasn't but a year or two ago there was pretty serious talk about raising the annual for cave divers to $100. I'm sure there are bean counters in Tallahassee that think the same as you..."It's not like demand would reduce as a result."Quote:
Originally Posted by aainslie
We are in a serious budget deficit here in FL.
Maybe we need resident and nonresident rates like most states have for fishing licenses?
I think it pays for the pickernik tables boo boo :)
(sorry I couldn't resist)
If I recall correctly, the pass is $80 for myself and my dad to get in year round (I think it's 1 pass per car load?). One day at Ginnie (including camping that night) is almost that, not that it's not worth it!
My guess for the cost is that places like Peacock would be almost unused if it weren't for divers (let's face it, Orange grove isn't the greatest swimming hole year round!), and the extra tables, platforms, warning signs, paying someone to check you in at places like itchtuknee and manatee, etc that go with allowing diving add up.
Just be glad that you get ot dive in State Parks. Come on up here and dive in ours, if you are lucky you will get to keep all your gear.
Remember that cost is to help many things out. With more and more getting into Cave Diving, there are more and more hours spent with money going out for all kinds of stuff that is not seen behind the blind so to speak.
I would have no problem to pay money to be able to dive up here. Even som of our state taxes go to our parks but many still have use fees depending on the kind of use. Like it was mentioned earlyer there are a base fee and then a use fee. Ok by me
SLIM
If you think the park fees are high, try taking up wreck diving :-)