Florida Campgrounds Honored with Park of the Year Awards – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
The Florida and Alabama RV Park and Campground Association (FRVCA) presented awards on Thursday during the association’s annual Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo in Orlando.
Awards were presented for Best Park and Best Supplier categories.
Criteria for Best Park Awards
Best Park Award recipients must have standards for their business, their staff and the way they treat their customers, all of which should be reflected in the park’s reviews and ratings. Award-winning parks must also be well maintained, feature quality facilities, amenities, and guest services, and demonstrate a track record of guest satisfaction and increased occupancy. These parks must also show the implementation and use of new technology or innovations or recently completed updates or improvements that enhance the park and the guest experience. This year’s Best Park Award recipients include the following:
— Fisherman’s Cove RV Resort in Palmetto: This resort won a Best Park Award in the small size category for parks with 50 to 150 sites. The private resort features a waterfront swimming pool, a private boat ramp and 375-foot private fishing pier with a cleaning station, kayaks and paddleboards as well as a bayside putting green, clubhouse and fitness center. The resort is surrounded by 24,900 contiguous acres of serene aquatic preserve as well as county and state parks such as Robinson Preserve, Emerson Point and Terra Ceia State Park. As such, the resort can serve as a base camp for hiking, biking, boating, fishing and kayaking trips. The resort has produced a video to highlight its onsite and nearby activities.
— Turtle Beach Campground in Sarasota: This Sarasota County campground won a Best Park Award in the size category for parks with less than 50 sites. Located on Siesta Key, the campground features 39 RV and tent sites. A free open-air trolley is available to take guests into town and to the white sands of Siesta Beach, which was previously rated the Number One beach in the U.S. by TripAdvisor and Dr. Beach. Turtle Beach Campground was established as a Gulf Beach Campground in 1921 and was acquired by Sarasota County in 2006. Loggerhead and green turtles typically nest on the shores of Turtle Beach from May 1 to Oct. 31.
— Zachary Taylor Waterfront RV Resort in Okeechobee: This campground won a Best Park Award in the medium size category for parks with 151 to 300 sites. The 210-site park features a half mile of frontage along Taylor Creek, a tributary to Lake Okeechobee, and offers both canoe and kayak rentals as well as boat rentals for fishing. Park amenities include a lighted 100-foot fishing pier, exercise room and planned activities.
— The Surf RV Resort in Palmetto: This 449-site, 55-and-over Zeman Signature RV Resort won a Best Park Award in the large park category for parks with more than 301 sites. Amenities include an elegant clubhouse with a yoga and aerobics room, game room, library, business center; ballroom; food and beverage service; an outdoor kitchen; an infinity pool and spa; a poolside bar; multiple dog parks, a dog wash station, and lighted sports courts.
Best Supplier Award Criteria
Award recipients must be a member of the Florida and Alabama RV Park & Campground Association in good standing; have supported the industry and the association by participating in events for four years or more; have demonstrated a consistent history of providing quality products and or services that help to enhance RV parks and the camping/guest experience; bring efficiency and innovation to the RV park owner and operator; and be good stewards to the RV park and campground / outdoor hospitality industry
— This year’s Best Supplier Award was presented to Wild Energy, a provider of advanced utility sub-metering and monitoring solutions.
Information about the latest trends involving campgrounds, RV parks and resorts is available from the Florida RV Park and Campground Association, which markets privately owned and operated parks in Florida through CampFlorida.com, the travel planning website. The association also publishes a free printed camping guide, which can be ordered though CampFlorida.com.
