State parks struggling to survive | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL

State parks struggling to survive | TimesDaily.com | The Times Daily | Florence, AL: "State parks - all 22 of them - have long been hailed as a driving force in Alabama's economy.

State officials will tell you quickly most of them have never made money and weren't built with turning a profit in mind. The economic benefit has come from visitors spending their money on food, supplies and other materials during their visits.

Chances are, however, even the most devoted proponents of state parks never envisioned a year when the system would lose $6 million."