Staff Spotlight, Melissa Boyle

Melissa Boyle

Long Key State Park 

Where have you worked in the Florida Park Service? 

I started my career in the Florida Park Service at Bahia Honda State Park after working for the concessionaire there for two and a half years doing beach rentals, dockmaster and dive master on the snorkel trips to Looe Key. I started working at Long Key State Park in Nov. 2024. Since becoming a Park Ranger, I have volunteered and worked with the District 5 Strike Team for Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton recoveries, working at O'leno State Park, River Rise Preserve State Park, Dudley Farm State Park, Wekiva Springs State Park, Oscar Scherer State Park and Myakka River State Park to clear roads, campgrounds and day use areas to facilitate the re-opening of the parks.

What initially got you interested in working for the parks? 

After experiencing the challenges of working in the Keys, with a lack of work hours during certain times of the year, the thing that was the most enticing at the time that I applied was the regular schedule and pay, and benefits, including still being able to work outside in the park that I loved. Once I became a Ranger and experienced learning new things while putting my previous experiences to use, I realized I love it and should have done this years ago.

Please tell us about your scuba certification and what role you are playing for the Park Service. 

I currently hold a Divemaster certification and am also a certified DEP diver.  For the park service, I am a Unit Diving Safety Officer for District 5.  In that role I review dive plans from Keys parks and assure that they are within the DEP diving safety guidelines according to the Underwater Operations Manual.  I also help with DEP Diving Certifications and help at other Keys parks with diving projects when additional divers are needed, such as buoy maintenance/replacement projects. In Sept. 2024 I had the opportunity to help with the San Pedro Archaeological Preserve cannon project: pulling cannon replicas off of the ocean floor where they were sinking into it and moving them to more stable areas within the wreck location.  I have also been able to help the Park Service here in the Keys with fish counts and removal of invasive species such as lionfish.

What do you like best about your job? 

Being able to meet and work with park staff from parks all over the state on various resource management projects throughout the year, and also the variety of training and tasks that I get to experience.

What do you like most about working in the Florida Keys? 

I love the laid-back lifestyle and living life near, on and in the ocean as much as possible. I spend as much time as possible boating, snorkeling and diving to learn as much as I can about the ocean life near the state parks.

What suggestions would you give for a typical visitor to Long Key? 

Instead of just looking for a beach in the Keys, take time to enjoy looking for the many different plants, birds, shoreline life, and ocean life. Instead of beaches, Long Key has many different habitats to experience: coastal berms on the Atlantic, a mangrove swamp, salt pan area and rockland hammock. You can walk the nature trail or even explore the shallow flats of Long Key Atlantic shoreline by walking or snorkeling to view the aquatic life in and around the many grass beds. Being about mid-way in the chain of islands, Long Key is a great place to learn about biodiversity in the Keys.