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."
The Friends of Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserves citizen support organization hosted their first quarterly social event at Beech Kombucha, a craft kombucha brewery, tasting room and botanical garden. The TBAP manager gave an update on preserve activities, followed by a knot tying workshop. As most attendees are outdoor people, there was much enthusiasm for learning some very useful knots.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve (WRAP) staff recently assisted researchers with Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resiliency, with selecting locations for an enclosure study along the lower Wekiva River.
At the beginning of August, Research staff completed routine fieldwork for their nutrient and water quality monitoring programs. These programs are part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve’s System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) and occur monthly.