Cypress Lakes Preserve in Brooksville to close for maintenance Monday
Most of Cypress Lakes Preserve closed Monday in Brooksville, with only a small section still open from Cortez Boulevard and Paul R. Steckle Lane.
Crews shut down most of Cypress Lakes Preserve in Brooksville on Monday as Hernando County began a three- to four-day maintenance period that left only a small portion of the property open from Cortez Boulevard and Paul R. Steckle Lane.
Hernando County Parks and Recreation said the closure was needed for scheduled maintenance and asked visitors to avoid the closed area so crews could work safely. The preserve normally draws hikers, birdwatchers and families looking for a quiet stretch of public land near Lake Townsen, but access was narrowed this week across the 324-acre site.
The county parks listing describes Cypress Lakes Preserve as a 324-acre preserve with about 600 feet of frontage on Lake Townsen, open sunrise to sunset. It also contains a 1.5-mile section of the Florida National Scenic Trail, while trail guides describe the route as a roughly 1.7-mile Florida Trail segment with cypress-lined water and old cypress trees. For people who use the preserve for exercise or a short walk off Ridge Manor Boulevard, the closure means plans had to change immediately.
The shutdown fits into a broader pattern of county upkeep at Cypress Lakes. Project materials say work there has focused on continuing habitat restoration in scrub and scrubby flatwoods communities, along with trailhead upgrades that include safe parking, a trailhead kiosk, a pavilion and a restroom. County capital-improvement records also list future Cypress Lakes projects that include a pavilion, an observation boardwalk and a kayak launch.
The preserve has repeatedly been the site of county-managed land work. Hernando County announced a 55-acre prescribed burn there on May 10, 2021, and a property-improvement project beginning the week of Feb. 15, 2021. In 2022, the county also closed the trailhead entrance for kiosk work.
Cypress Lakes Preserve has long been a centerpiece of the county’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program. County records say the 331-acre property was the first parcel incorporated into the program and was acquired in part with Preservation 2000 Revenue Bond proceeds and a Florida Communities Trust matching grant in December 1994.
That history helps explain why even a short closure matters. The county has treated Cypress Lakes not just as a recreation site, but as a working preserve where public access, habitat restoration and long-term land care have to move together.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
