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Free Lifetime Family State Park Pass for Gold Star Spouses and Parents
A free lifetime family pass for the surviving spouse — and the parents — of a servicemember who fell in combat.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
A free lifetime family pass for the surviving spouse — and the parents — of a servicemember who fell in combat.
What it's worth: A lifetime family annual entrance pass, free
- The pass is a family annual entrance pass, issued free and for life rather than renewed each year.
- It admits the pass holder's family to state parks, on the same footing as the paid family annual pass.
- It sits under the same section as the other Gold Star entrance pass in this corpus, and is issued on the same evidence of the qualifying death.
Who is entitled to it
- Subsection (3) names surviving spouses and parents.
- They fell in combat.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1Bring documentation of the death in combat and of your relationship.
- 2Ask for the lifetime family entrance pass under §258.0145(3).
- File with
- Any Florida state park ranger station
- Documents you will need
- dd1300 or va letter · proof of relationship
- No renewal needed
Worth knowingPARENTS are named alongside the surviving spouse. Very few Florida benefits reach a Gold Star parent, and almost no summary of this one mentions them.
Known gapThe statute does not define "fallen in combat", and we have found no rule that does. Whether a death from wounds after evacuation is inside it is a question for the division.
Sources
- authority · statuteFla. Stat. §258.0145(3)
Why only one source type: The statute is the authority. No separate operating page for subsection (3) has been captured.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.