The boardwalk at Linda Pedersen Park at Jenkins Creek is open again, capping a construction stretch that closed off part of the coastal park for years. Hernando County Government announced this week that the park's improvements are complete, pointing to a newly replaced boardwalk and a fresh ADA-accessible sidewalk leading out to it.
The announcement, posted by Hernando County Government on Facebook, marks the resolution of a project that traces back to 2021, when safety hazards forced the county to close the original boardwalk structure. According to reporting from the Hernando Sun, the $411,000 replacement project was funded through the federal RESTORE Act, using grant money tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement, meaning the rebuild came at no direct cost to local taxpayers.
That funding source also explains why the fix took so long. The same reporting notes that administrative review processes and contractor bidding tied to the federal grant significantly stretched the project's timeline, fueling public frustration over the extended closures. Still, key park features like the kayak launch, playground, and fishing banks stayed open throughout construction, per the same account.
Observation Tower Still Closed Despite Boardwalk Fix
The boardwalk reopening does not mean the 135-acre park has finished its makeover. The Hernando Sun reports that the park's 40-foot wooden observation tower, a fixture since 1994 that once offered panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico estuary and the Weeki Wachee Preserve, remains closed after inspections turned up severe rot and decay in the structure.
County commissioners have approved a replacement for the tower, with the rebuild funded by tourism tax bonds moving forward separately from the boardwalk work, the Hernando Sun notes. The park is still in the middle of a larger physical transformation even with the walkway finished.
Storm damage has also reshaped the property recently. The Hernando Sun reports that county crews completed demolition of the park's former Port Authority building in August 2025, after Hurricane Idalia flooded the structure with up to 17 inches of storm surge back in August 2023.
A Coastal Hub With Deep Local Roots
Linda Pedersen Park carries its name in honor of a local environmental activist. The Hernando County Board of County Commissioners renamed the property from Hernando Beach Park in February 2004, according to the Tampa Bay Times, honoring Pedersen, a 54-year-old coastal conservation advocate who died in a 2000 car accident.
Today the 135-acre site splits into 25 developed acres with picnic pavilions, a playground, a swim area, and a kayak launch, alongside 110 acres of open marshland connected to Jenkins Creek Preserve, per Hernando County Government. The park also serves as a primary terminus for the 1.7-mile Bayport-Linda Pedersen Paddling Trail, a marked coastal waterway through needlerush salt marshes described by Florida Hikes, with an optional loop through Redfish Bayou extending the route to nearly 4.9 miles.
The park sits along the edge of the 11,000-acre Weeki Wachee Preserve, where state wildlife officials established a formal Springs Protection Zone in July 2023 to safeguard wintering manatees and coastal wetlands, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Getting there has also gotten easier: Hernando County's TheBus service launched Route 9, nicknamed the Mermaid Route, in August 2025, adding a dedicated park-and-ride stop at Linda Pedersen Park along Shoal Line Boulevard.
More Than a Park — A Safety Net and Festival Ground
Beyond recreation, the park doubles as a critical public-safety site. As Hoodline previously reported, Hernando County has used Linda Pedersen Park as an official sandbag distribution station during severe weather emergencies, including Hurricane Helene in September 2024 and Tropical Storm Debby in July 2025.
The park also functions as a cultural gathering place. It hosts the annual Weeki Wachee Swamp Fest, a multi-day festival with live music, arts, and food vendors that briefly closes the park to regular traffic each March, drawing thousands of visitors and supporting local civic organizations, the Hernando Sun reports. With the boardwalk complete and the tower rebuild still ahead, the park remains a work in progress even as it keeps serving Hernando Beach and Spring Hill residents.
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