Staff Spotlight, Ernest Bell
Park Ranger, Ernest Bell
Price's Scrub State Park
A native Floridian, Ernest attended Broward College to study sociology before joining the U.S. Army and serving as a tank commander during Desert Storm. Once his military days were over, Ernest worked for the U.S. Postal Service before retiring a few years ago.
His love for Florida State Parks brought him out of retirement. He began working for the Florida Park Service in 2018 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. During the summer of 2019, Ernest moved to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and Price’s Scrub State Park. When he is out on the trails, Ernest tries to spot his favorite bird - the sandhill crane. He is an avid photographer and takes pictures of all creatures great and small, from the bison that roam the prairie basin to the banded sphinx moth.
Ernest says his favorite time of the year is wintertime because, “being from South Florida, it cools off!” During the winter, he enjoys time at Price’s Scrub, riding around and checking out the trails. When he is out there, Ernest says, he feels like an explorer from long ago. Ernest likes being able to give back to his home state and help preserve Florida for future generations. Say hello to Ernest when you are in the park!