Credit: Photo via National Park Service
The clock is ticking as Congress remains in a standstill over a federal spending plan with a Friday deadline.

If Congress can’t find common ground and the federal government is shut down, Floridians will be feeling those effects here in the Sunshine State.

In Florida, there are 12 national parks, including:

  • Big Cypress Swamp, Ochopee
  • Biscayne, Miami
  • Canaveral National Seashore
  • Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, St. Augustine
  • Fort Matanzas, St. Augustine
  • De Soto National Memoria, Bradenton
  • Dry Tortugas, Key West
  • Everglades
  • Fort Caroline National Memorial, Jacksonville
  • Timucuan Preserve, Jacksonville
  • Gulf Islands National Seashore
  • Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
Florida Today reports that national refuges are at risk for closure as well, which would include the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and the St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge.

For now, parks will continue normal operations, Steven McCoy of the National Parks System told Florida Today.

He says parks officials have not been tasked with any shutdown planning.

But as legislators continue to argue about a $30 billion increase of funding to the Department of Defense, the Affordable Care Act and reduced domestic funding, unless Congress can agree or set an extension, you might want to have a backup plan for this weekend.

This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2017.