Origin of the Egmont Key State Park:

  Back when the US Coast Guard maintained a Light Station on Egmont Key, there was a crew of four Coast Guardsmen whose job it was to maintain the lighthouse, low frequency radio beacon and the fog horn that was powered by an air compressor. The lighthouse was automated in 1944 and in subsequent years the foghorn and radio beacon were removed. It was decided that the Coast Guardsmen no longer needed to remain on the island and they were reassigned. For a number of years, the island became a place of unrestricted human activity. There was very little nesting bird activity due to the human activity and the island suffered through a difficult time in its history.

  During the 1980’s the sons and their families, of Congressman Sam Gibbons who were frequent visitors to the island saw the destruction of the island and its natural beauty. They asked their father to see if there was a way to protect the island. Sam Gibbons, working with the State Park Service, the US Coast Guard and US Fish and Wildlife, crafted a cooperative set of agreements that, in the words of Tim Gibbons, “would be so complicated that no one would ever be able to undo it” and thereby protect the island. In 1988 Congressman Gibbons helped to organize a joint military and civilian cleanup of the island. The cleanup removed 70 tons of trash including refrigerators, stoves, portable toilets and a truck chassis The Park Service then took over the supervision on a day to day basis in 1989. Egmont Key State Park was officially created!

Founding of the Alliance:

  Many people wonder about how the Alliance got its name. At the time of its founding on June 24, 1991, it was made up of people from several interest groups. There were the lighthouse enthusiasts, the lovers of wildlife, military history enthusiasts and people that enjoyed the recreation on the island. They thought they would be more effective in protecting the island if they worked together in an “alliance” and so the Egmont Key Alliance was established as a Citizen Support Organization for the Florida Park Service. The CSO agreement was signed on March 13, 1992. The mission of the Alliance is to “Restore, Preserve and Protect” Egmont Key. The Alliance is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit Florida Corporation.

Our Presidents:

Susan Kessel                           1991-1992

Sandra Colbert                        1993-1994

Gregory Wilson                      1995

Richard Johnson                     1996-2005

Sandie Mallet                         2006-2007

Jim Spangler                           2008

Richard Johnson                     2009-2010

Richard Sanchez                     2010-Present

Our Park Managers                         Assistant Park Managers

Bob Baker                                           Bobby Wilson

Perry Smith                                         Toby Brewer

Scott Robinson                                   Doug Vandercamp

Peter Krulder                                     Tom Watson 
Donald Bergeron

Egmont Key Alliance Environmental Care Award Recipients – Presented to those persons dedicated to the preservation and enrichment of Florida’s natural environment. The award is also called the Jan Plant Award since she was the first recipient. Jan passed away in 2017.

Jan Platt                                  1993

Lee Fox                                   1994

Peter Clark                              1995

Jerry Shrewsbury                    1997

Charlann & David Mason      1999

Holly S. Greening                   1999

James Spangler                        2017