Florewood River Plantation State Park remains open despite a bill passed earlier this year directing the state to dispose of the park.
The bill, passed by the Legislature in May, directed Mississippi's Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to either close, transfer, lease or sell Florewood and four other state parks.
In addition, the bill stated the department should close its district office at Florewood.
Although the legislation was scheduled to go into effect July 1, Florewood and the department's district office remain open.
Glenn Harris, director of park operations for the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said the department could not proceed with the Legislature's mandate until it receives further instruction from the state attorney general.
"The legislators in the past session gave us the authority to sell, transfer, lease or close the five parks," Harris said. "In turn, we had to get a ruling from the attorney general on how we are supposed to do that, because we have to follow state laws and things of that nature."
A ruling from the attorney general, which has not yet been issued, will give the department direction on how to properly carry out the legislative ruling.
Until then, Harris said, it's "business as usual" at Florewood. "If the department does anything at all," he continued, "it will be late fall."
