Roy and Sandy Herdman of St. Petersburg had a nice view of natural prairie grasses and wildlife as they camped recently at Myakka River State Park in eastern Sarasota County.

“We saw wild turkeys, ospreys and deer — a parade of deer,” said Roy Herdman, who has visited the park for nearly 30 years.

But after their first day at the park, the Herdmans’ view changed from Myakka’s famous wildlife to the side of a worn 1970s tow-behind camper that pulled in just a few feet away in the camp area at the popular park.

“I’d definitely welcome more privacy,” Herdman said.

Despite being one of Florida’s largest and most popular state parks, Myakka’s 1960s-era campgrounds are far behind the times with narrow and densely packed sites with no buffer between them.

But this year, state park officials are hoping to bring Myakka into the modern camping era with a new $1.2 million campground being carved from dense oak canopies and palm brush. Also, some campsites will be removed to reduce crowding at the existing camp area.
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