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."
In Northeast Florida, oysters are a foundational species and highly valued for their ecosystem services. Several entities from across Northeast Florida (St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Fish and Wildlife, Northeast Florida Aquatic Preserves, University of Florida) met at Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve recently for a workshop to plan standardized oyster monitoring for winter 2026.
The Coral Protection and Restoration Program (CPR) and Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) are hard at work completing benthic surveys for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP).
With another shorebird nesting season complete, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve staff, partners and volunteers removed the ‘Critical Wildlife Area’ and ‘Nesting Shorebird’ closure signs from Second Chance Island. Now one of Southwest Florida's most popular shelling destinations is once again open to the public.