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 Sept. 25, the Florida Keys Aquatic Preserve, in partnership with DEP Parks officially started Disturbance Response Monitoring (DRM) surveys for the season in the Big Pine area, within the Coupon Bight Aquatic Preserve. These surveys are designed to monitor coral reef health during and after a disturbance, and each year trained divers survey corals during peak annual temperatures.
Seventy nine invasive tilapia were removed from Oklawaha River Aquatic Preserve after a day of spearfishing with Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve staff and an evening of electrofishing with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Since January 2025 when intensive tilapia removal efforts began, 1,400 tilapia have been removed from the aquatic preserve and an increase of native fish abundance has been observed.
Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve staff collaborated with Rollins College on a Coastal and Estuarine Science and Spirituality Class. The class was held at Canaveral National Seashore and The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve. The class tied in both the aquatic ecosystem connections as well as the human spiritual experience attained by aquatic explorations.