28/10/2026
There is a push going on to get the State Park on St. George Island designated as a Dark Sky location, and the group behind it hopes to file an application for the dark sky designation next year.
A dark sky designation is an official recognition given by DarkSky International to parks and communities that protect and preserve dark, star-filled night skies by reducing artificial light pollution.
The St. George Island State Park has been seeking the designation for a number of years.
There's only one other park in the state, which is Kissimmee Prairie, that has that designation.
There are a number of reasons to keep the skies as dark as possible, one being that it is good for wildlife, especially sea turtles that nest on our beaches during the summer.
Dark skies are also a draw for tourism.
Most people can’t even see the Milky Way from where they live because of light pollution, which makes places like Franklin County a draw for people who like to star gaze, and certain places in the county, like the state park, provide people with a great view of the night sky.
The state park even has an observing platform to make it easier for people to stargaze.
Gulf County uses a picture of the night sky in their tourist development book as a way to attract more visitors.
The group advocating for the Dark Sky designation plans to file an application sometime next year, and will seek county support when they do.
