Through a public information request to the State Parks of Florida, Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson received several documents which show that Nestle Waters, a private corporation who profits from our protected freshwater springs, plans to exploit a state park, Gilchrist Blue Springs, for their financial gain.
Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park is funded by taxpayer dollars to keep it protected and available for enjoyment by the public. Nestle intends to shoot their newest corporate commercial about bottling up our culturally significant springs and leaving a polluting stream via discarded single use plastic bottles.
Our taxpayer dollars at Gilchrist Blue Springs are now going to be used for a corporate interest profiteering. This was never the intent of funding this park.
Not only that, but our state park will be helping a commercial business which, by their own admission, will diminish the flow of the nearby Ginnie Spring. Our river and spring are already not meeting its required flow and must be restored by the State of Florida. Taking water out to bottle it will delay that recovery.
This is not the best use of our tax dollar, our parks, nor our springs, all of which belong to you.
Nestle wants to film at the spring on February 13th (Thursday) or 14th (Friday), 9 am until 4 pm. Even though they will have permission to use the park for their commercial purposes, they are not allowed to shut the park down. Therefore, it will be open for use by the public on those days.
If you want to see Florida’s freshwater springs in their natural places for your future generations, do not drink our fresh water springs out of plastic bottles. Tell everybody you know to stop buying or using Florida springwater wrapped in plastic from our grocery store shelves, vending machines, or handed out for “free”.
Want to be a part of this movement but feel that you are too far from where the epicenter of this crisis is occurring? Something important and EASY to do…stop buying this stuff. Filter your own tap water, whether you use city water or well water, filter it and use it. This action helps keep plastic pollution out of our neighborhoods and waterways too.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
Simple solution; QUIT buying single-use bottled water!
No, the park system isn’t to blame for this, the state government is! I grew up in North Florida where the springs are no longer flowing at all – industry like phosphate mining, have drained the acufier, Southwest Florida has overbuilt and in some instances have an intrusion of salt water into the aquifer…And at one point in time wanted to re=route the Suwanee River to solve their problems.Somehow the citizens of that area have managed to stop that from happening. the only way to stop this type of thing is to raise “he”” with state representatives and senators Please try!
They are taking Florida resources and sending it all over the world. Depleting our clean water. Not paying nothing but a permit for it. If it was oil you would have a problem. We need this water for Florida. You will say the same when your under water restrictions and it hapoens every year now. They will fine you for using water but they are giving our water away to Nestle to make a profit all over the world we get nothing for this. But depleting resources
First of all Florida State Parks are fee supported. Not tax supported. Second the park has no say in this. I do not buy bottled water but if You look at the numbers what they bottle is just a “drop in the bucket” .
Please don’t blame the park. As a state park system they are legally not allowed to turn down requests like this. It’s a permit that anyone can apply for. Not to mention that this park itself had no say in this decision. These requests go through the main office in Tallahassee
My husband and I just returned from Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend and The Ritz-Carlton had bottled water from Ocala, Florida
I am going to write them asking to consider changing their practices and perhaps offer tumblers with built-in filters for their guests.
Maybe it will work maybe not.
DISGUSTING! What else can you expect from politicians?…It’s in their dang DNA!
I just camped at this park for New Year’s. I was so happy the state had taken it over and was interested in restoring it. It looks sad compared to how it looked 20-30 years ago. Bottled water has been the most disgusting fraud all along. Man I wish I could to there and protest. This is BS!!
Between this and the dismantling of all environmental protections that our country has set in place to protect our land we can kiss this state and country goodbye. The good old guy mentality of rewarding corporations like the coal industry with a proven record of death and long term destruction. How does this even happen? How can they steal water from our already threatened aquifer? It’s public land!
Here in Europe, single use plastic water bottles are outlawed starting next year. To address the need for water, BYOB water dispensers are being installed. The cos is about a dime a liter for either normal or sparkling water.
Taxpayers- do we need a policy that prohibits commercial advertising in our county and state parks, especially from companies with an international reputation for using child labor and exploiting natural systems to exhaustion? What’s next – naming rights? Do you want to live near Nestle Blue Springs Park?
FYI, many movies, commercials, modeling shoots, and other professional photography operations request to use state parks all over the state on a regular basis. There are written regulations and a fee schedule for the required permits.
Please watch the 2006 movie “Idiocracy”. Then tune to freespeechtv.org.
It’s just gross and disrespectful of Nestle.
Just say NO – to Nestle!
I agree!!!
how can i help:? shall i show up on the thirteenth and fourteenth im right down the street.
Roberta,
I would say yes, please do.
Agree completely