Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection
Waters that Work, Play and Live
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection manages more than 5.3 million acres of submerged lands and coastal uplands in Florida.
Much of Florida's distinctive character lies in the beauty of its coastline. The best of our coastal landscapes as well as several inland waters is set aside for protection as aquatic preserves. Florida's natural beauty is a major attraction for both tourists and residents. Ironically, these coastal and inland resources that draw people to Florida are potentially endangered by the increased population pressures. Aquatic preserves protect Florida's living waters to ensure they will always be home for bird rookeries and fish nurseries, freshwater springs and salt marshes, and seagrass meadows and mangrove forests.
These aquatic preserves — located throughout Florida — offer a window into the state's natural and cultural heritage. Local leaders long recognized and worked to protect these critically important and ecologically sensitive areas and in 1975, with growing appreciation for their environmental diversity and alluring beauty, Florida enacted the Aquatic Preserve Act. This Act brought together existing and future aquatic preserves under one management program to ensure "their aesthetic, biological and scientific values may endure for the enjoyment of future generations."
On October 25, Noah Singer, Marine Debris and Outreach Specialist, of the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve (FKAP) team participated in a beach cleanup organized by CoastLove, a non-profit conservation organization in South Florida. He was one of 40 attendees who collected over 800 lbs. of trash in just under 3 hours. Over half the volunteers were youth from the local community!
Guests and staff at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center were in for quite a surprise recently when a Florida black bear was seen (numerous times) wandering through the grounds! One day the bear even stopped to snack from a bird feeder outside the administrative office and literally tore it down before continuing his stroll around the building and back into the woods.
Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve assisted in helping with hardbottom monitoring in Saint Martin's Marsh Aquatic Preserve and in Natures Coast Aquatic Preserve. Sponge, coral, invertebrates and many other aspects are being monitored as part of a 3-year grant project for the area.