State taking ownership of Weeki Wachee Springs

The state is taking over Weeki Wachee Springs and Buccaneer Bay.

HERNANDO COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- The Recreation and Parks Department of the Florida Department of Enviornmental Protection is taking over Weeki Wachee Springs and Buccaneer Bay in November.

The change in ownership has a lot of people wondering if change is on the horizon.

Park visitor Sheli Philipps hopes Buccaneer Bay will stay exactly the way it has been for years.

"It has been here forever," Philipps said. "I can remember coming here as a teenage and enjoying it back in the 80s, so it has just been like an icon around this part of Florida."

Weeki Wachee officials say the state has reassured them that no changes will be made. State officials say they intend to maintain the existing operations of the attraction and water park until their planning process has been completed.

• E-mail TV Reporter Ferdinand Zogbaum

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