Gourd Neck Springs is a small spring located in the southwest portion of Lake Apopka, in a small cove called “Gourd Neck” due to its distinctive shape. This area of the lake was considered in the 1960s as a potential nursery for fish. The Lake Apopka Technical Committee explored damming the Gourd Neck, separating it from the lake and preventing polluted lake water from entering, but these plans did not materialize. Efforts were also made in the 1960s to have the Gourd Neck area purchased by the State of Florida for use as a public park. The Gourd Neck Springs Park Association was formed in 1961 to study the site’s potential for a park and lobby for support from legislators. The land bordering the area was privately-owned by various individuals. One of these, Gary I. Sharp, continued seeking support for a park into the 1970s. While the project received support from Florida legislators and environmentalists, the land was never purchased by the state.

The Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EEL) was formed in 1972 as part of the larger Land Conservation Act of 1972. The EEL program was initially funded through the sale of state bonds. The program was designed to help the state acquire lands considered environmentally sensitive and was not designed for creating areas for recreational use. Potential sites for acquisition could be suggested by citizens, county and state governments, and nonprofit organizations. After evaluation for environmental value, potential sites would be approved by the Executive Director of the Florida Department of Natural Resources and finalized by the Governor. In 1979, the former Executive Director, Harmon Shields, was indicted on corruption charges involving the lands-acquisition process. Following this scandal, the EEL program was replaced by Conservation and Recreation Lands Program. This change replaced the program's funding with tax revenues instead of bond sales, and formed the Land Acquisition Selection Committee, made up by six executive directors of Florida environmental agencies, to select sites for approval by the governor. The Division of State Lands was also created as a division of the Department of Natural Resources to oversee mapping and evaluation of potential sites for acquisition.]]>
Gourd Neck Springs. Winter Park, FL: 1975: binder 1975, Friends of Lake Apopka Archives, Ginn Museum, Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Gourd Neck Springs. Winter Park, FL: 1975.]]> Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, Florida.]]> Friends of Lake Apopka Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> Friends of Lake Apopka and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
This is Cinerama, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, as well as a string of Esther Williams films and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1950s, young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial, young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. With the addition of a custom photography boat named Miss Cover Girl in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. Cypress Gardens closed in 2009. Legoland occupies the former lot.]]> Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>
UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.]]> UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.]]> Lucile Campbell Collection, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> UCF Public History Center and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>