Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Florida Park Service (also known as the Division of Recreation and Parks) is part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Most Florida government job opportunities are advertised through Jobs.MyFlorida.com.  

When seeking state park job listings at the website, you will first want to click on the drop-down arrow marked “Agency” and choose “Department of Environmental Protection” from the list. Once you are on the DEP page, you can either scroll down the page to see all DEP positions available, or you can narrow your search by typing in a specific location. The job descriptions will cover what knowledge, skills and abilities are important for a candidate to have. Be aware that these descriptions may vary from park to park even if the job title is the same.

On some occasions, seasonal or part-time employment may be advertised directly through the state park and not through the jobs website linked above. If you do not see any listed positions in your desired location, contact your state park of interest to inquire if there are any opportunities available and what application process is necessary to complete. 

Contact information for all of our state parks or trails can be found at FloridaStateParks.org. If you type the name of the park/trail you are seeking into the search bar located in the upper right-hand corner, the website will bring you to the page for that particular location. The physical address and telephone number for the park/trail will be immediately to the right of the welcome message and listed as “Contact This Park.”

Inquiries regarding employment with any of the on-site concession services within Florida State Parks should be addressed to the concession business directly.

There are no specific degree or subject matter requirements for becoming employed with Florida State Parks, although fields that are related to the job might include environmental science, leisure and recreation services, forestry, biology, geology, history or customer services. These areas may be helpful in understanding the principles, philosophies, etc., that are used to manage state parks. Many of our employees also have backgrounds in military service.

Park rangers and park services specialists are often called upon to do such tasks as resource management (removing exotic plants from park grounds, monitoring/protecting sensitive ecological areas and species within the park, participating in prescribed burns); visitor services; park interpretation; maintenance (cleaning park grounds and facilities, providing preventative maintenance, and repairing park equipment and facilities); administration (collecting fees, preparing reports, maintaining records and logs); and providing park security. Experience in skilled trades such as electrical wiring, plumbing, carpentry, and operation of power tools and farming equipment can be a plus.

Ranger Academy is not something that you can attend prior to applying for a job as a park ranger; it is a component of the new employee training process. If you apply and are hired as a park ranger or park services specialist with DEP through Jobs.MyFlorida.com, you will likely attend Ranger Academy within your first year of employment.

The Florida Park Service partners with AmeriCorps in the Florida Conservation Corps (FLCC), developing natural and cultural resource leaders by connecting them to areas of critical need in conservation, preservation, interpretation and resource-based recreation. Please see the information given at the webpage linked above, or contact the FLCC directly at FLCC@FloridaDEP.gov.

Volunteering on a regular basis in one or more Florida State Parks is an excellent way to meet park rangers, shadow their duties, and network with various levels of hierarchy in the Florida Park Service. Learn more about the types of volunteer opportunities we offer.