BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Visitors to Canaveral National Seashore and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge are seeing firsthand the impact of the federal government shutdown.
At the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the visitor center is closed, but outdoor areas like the Manatee Observation Deck remain open.
Over at Canaveral National Seashore, the entrance to Playalinda Beach is locked down while trails and boat ramps are still accessible.
Brevard County resident Jayden Jones came to see the manatees with a friend and did. She said, “I’m sure it is a huge inconvenience to not be able to get the resources and be able to visit places that they sometimes come all the way down to Florida to see.”
According to the National Park Service, all locked facilities will stay closed for the duration of the shutdown.
Roads, trails, and open-air memorials generally remain open, but parks are largely unstaffed and visitor services like restrooms, trash collection, and educational programs are suspended unless recreation fee funds can cover basic operations.
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