CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — The city of Crystal River is looking to make some upgrades around town, and one project involves improving the public restrooms at Hunter Springs Park.

What You Need To Know

  • Plans are being proposed to improve the public restrooms at Hunter Springs Park

  • The City of Crystal River is looking for $350,000 to make the upgrade, citing a bed tax funding source from the Tourism Development Council

  • Last year, council member Ken Frink says roughly 50,000 kayaks were launched throughout the county showing a need for more resources

If approved by county commissioners, the city is looking for $350,000 to make the upgrade. It may sound like a lot of money for the job, but it’s a price some say might be necessary for tourism.

“We are the Nature Coast. This is one of the most beautiful places you can go in this entire state of Florida and we want to preserve that,” Crystal River City Councilman Ken Frink said.

There’s just one underlying issue, an issue involving the park’s public restrooms.

“When tourists look at the brochures and the advertisement they see to come to Hunter Springs or just to Crystal River in general, it’s a very beautiful place,” Frink said. “But the last thing we want them to do is leave with the impression of a disgusting bathroom.”

Frink has raised the issue to Citrus County Commissioners, saying the toilets are not a smelly problem but a crowd problem.

“The bathrooms we have today were built in 2016, prior to this huge surge in tourism,” Frink said. “So they were never designed for the amount of people coming to them. It’s the public’s duty to provide sanitary, safe and usable bathrooms to its patrons. Right now, we’re not doing that.”

To afford the developments, Frink is pitching the idea that the money comes from tourism dollars.

“What we’re asking is the Tourism Development Council has a funding source called bed tax,” Frink said. “And where that money comes from, for every night there’s a hotel stay, there’s a percentage of tax collected that specifically has to relate back to tourism. Mostly that’s used to advertise and promote tourism, but a percentage of it can be used for capital projects such as a new bathroom or boat ramp or kayak launch.”

Last year, Frink says roughly 50,000 kayaks were launched throughout the county. Showing a need for more resources beyond toilets.

“There’s a tremendous amount of need and all of this is brought on by the impacts of the sheer number of tourists the City of Crystal River is dealing with,” Frink said.

It’s a commitment, Frink says may be necessary for continued tourism, ensuring tourists continue to visit to the Nature Coast tomorrow and beyond.