Gemini Springs Park
| Gemini Springs Park | |
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Gemini Springs Park. View from the footbridge crossing the bayou looking toward the east. The fishing pier is in the distance.
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| Location | DeBary, Volusia County, Florida |
| Coordinates | 28°51′54″N 81°18′39″W / 28.8651°N 81.3108°WCoordinates: 28°51′54″N 81°18′39″W / 28.8651°N 81.3108°W |
| Area | 210 acres (85 ha; 0.33 sq mi) |
| Created | October 27, 1996 |
| Operated by | Volusia County Parks, Recreation and Culture Division |
| Visitors | 57,755(2005 estimate) |
| Open | Sunrise to sunset |
Gemini Springs Park is a 210-acre (85 ha) public nature park in DeBary, Florida, United States featuring two springs. The park, completed in 1996, is situated on bayou northwest of Lake Monroe (Florida).
Gemini Springs Park is located immediately northwest of Lake Monroe (Florida) in DeBary, Florida on the DeBary Bayou. The park is situated on 210-acre (85 ha) of wooded land. 6.5 million gallons of fresh water flow from the park's two flowing springs each day. The park features a fishing pier, a fenced dog park, picnic pavilions, bicycle and hiking trails, a playground, campsites and restrooms.
Cattle rancher Saundra Gray and her husband, Charles Gray, an Orlando attorney, purchased 160 acres of the Gemini Springs Farm in 1969 for $280,000, and later purchased adjacent property. After moving their cattle ranch operation from Osceola County to Gemini Springs Farm, they raised and bred Santa Gertudis cattle. They maintained most of the property in its natural state, only using a portion for cattle. They added an earthen dam near the springs, creating a reservoir at one end of the bayou.
In 1986, the Grays drew criticism from environmentalists after selling a parcel of the farm along the DeBary bayou to a developer and pursuing plans to dredge the bayou to provide access for boats from a proposed condominium complex. In 1989, they sought permits for a 214-unit subdivision surrounding the springs, again prompting a reaction from environmentalists who urged the county to purchase the property for use as a passive park. Initially, the property was offered to the county for $7 million, $4 million less than the property was privately appraised for, according to Charles Gray. By 1993, the asking price for the property was reduced to $6 million.
The Gemini Springs property was jointly purchased in February 1994 for $5.65 million. Volusia County contributed $2.6 to the purchase. Florida Communities Trust contributed $2 million and St. Johns River Water Management District contributed $1.1 million.
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