How can I volunteer in Florida?

Volunteer Florida also runs AmeriCorps programs in Florida and coordinates volunteers and donations during disasters. Its platform, Volunteer Connect, lists openings posted by nonprofits and government offices, and you sign up for them directly on the site. The agency is at 1545 Raymond Diehl Road, Suite 250, in Tallahassee, phone 850-414-7400.

Florida State Parks has its own Volunteer Portal at volunteers.floridastateparks.org. Park volunteers greet visitors, lead tours and special events, remove exotic plants, and help maintain beaches, waterways and trails. You apply online, and the parks recommend calling the park a week or two after you apply. Teenagers 14 to 17 can volunteer within Florida's child labor laws with a parent's or guardian's signature; children 13 and under must come with a parent, a guardian or a supervised youth group.

Campground hosts and park residents get a free RV site in return for 24 hours of volunteer work per week per site, which the people on the site can split. A stay is limited to 16 weeks in a 12-month period, counted from the first day on the site. The parks say openings at coastal parks are very competitive, and so is November through March; some parks book winter volunteers one to two years ahead, so apply early. The parks' statewide information line is 850-245-2157.

The Florida Department of Health takes volunteers with clerical, administrative, technical and professional skills at its facilities through its Chapter 110 Volunteer Program, phone 850-245-4446.

Where to go from here.