FLORIDA PLACE TO EXPLORE
William J. 'Billy Joe' Rish Recreation Area
Gulf County · Panhandle & Emerald Coast
A hundred-acre beach park built for visitors with disabilities and their families, named for the legislator who fought for it.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Billy Joe Rish served in the Florida House of Representatives, for the Eighth District from 1970 to 1971 and the Ninth from 1972 to 1978, and he spent much of that time arguing that people with disabilities should have somewhere on the coast built for them rather than adapted afterward. Governor Reubin Askew named this park for him in June 1978 under Chapter 78-458, Laws of Florida. It covers 100 acres on the St. Joseph Peninsula, with a mile of white sand on the Gulf side and a quarter mile of shoreline on St. Joseph Bay. The park is designed around accessibility throughout, and it exists for visitors with disabilities along with their families and caregivers. There is a swimming pool, a visitor center and two cabins for overnight stays. The Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities ran it until December 1, 2021, when it passed to the Department of Environmental Protection and became part of the state park system. Bookings are made through the state park reservation service or by telephone to the call center
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