The northern areas of Florida’s Santa Rosa County have long been proud of their agricultural nature in contrast to the more beach-oriented lifestyle prevalent in the south.
This county’s AGRI-PLEX hub was built towards the end of last year, and its fairgrounds attract crowds who love and appreciate the more rural offerings of the county, according to a report.
A large part of these offerings are campgrounds as well as RV parks and resorts which house temporary workers, snowbirds, vacationers, and traveling professionals.
“You know, it’s, I think, the rising cost of housing, [and the] rising cost of renting something here. I think RV style has just gone crazy,” said Dede Rhyne, who runs the KOA Holiday Campgrounds in Milton.
Rhyne said that in addition to the lifestyle, another factor that makes these RV parks viable and draws individuals is the chance to join as a work camper or someone hired by an RV park to ensure that a campsite is running smoothly.
In recent times, there’s been a push to construct more RV parks within and surrounding the Milton area. In fact, two plans included the possibility of future RV parks at Santa Rosa’s January 13 zoning board meeting alone.
The county’s District 3 Commissioner James Calkins, said an unexpanded supply and increased demand for the RV lifestyle are the main reasons behind the desire to capitalize on the development of parks while they are popular.
“What happens is you have only so many RV parks, and the prices have gone up. And so that creates a want to make money for private businesses because there’s a lot of money to be made,” Calkins said.
Because a lot of people buy an RV in the north and want to park them to be in warm, sunny Florida,” he added.