Oceans Initiative

World-class beaches and stunning coral reefs draw 29 million tourists to Florida every year, contributing more than $53 billion and 700,000 jobs to the economy. From the seas surrounding the Florida Keys to the sandy white beaches of the Panhandle, clean water lays the foundation for a healthy economy. Florida seaports supply the $20 billion cruise industry with almost half of the nation’s cruise ship passengers and supports a $35 billion trade industry and 288,000 jobs. Recreational and commercial fishing injects more than $6.6 billion into Florida communities while boating contributes an additional $14.6 billion.

Expanding conservation efforts beyond Florida’s 1,350-mile coastline protects our quality of life and growing economy. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are spearheading the first comprehensive, coordinated approach to protecting water quality and marine habitat by focusing resources on four key areas of coastal protection:

Closing the Science Gap to Improve Environmental Management

• Expand partnerships between research scientists, institutions and environmental managers to establish ocean research priorities that protect the economic and environmental significance of Florida’s marine resources.

Establishing Partnerships to Enhance Recreation, Ecotourism and Commerce

• Create a salt water paddling trail around the Florida peninsula that travels through the pristine coastal waters of 37 aquatic preserves.
• Involving all stakeholders, develop a strategy that maintains healthy and environmentally sound fishery levels amidst growing recreational and consumer demands.
• Improve boater education through marine industry partnerships to minimize resource impacts and maximize boater safety.

Conserving and Restoring Critical Ocean Habitats

• Conserve coral reefs through an additional $400,000 to fund conservation projects for three reef tracts off of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
• Implement Florida’s Seagrass Management Plan, using common-sense environmental management to restore the vital vegetation and to raise awareness to the important role seagrasses play in our near-shore waters.
• Complete hydrological restoration of Southern Golden Gate Estates, the first construction project of the $8 billion, 30-year plan to restore the Everglades.
• Protect coastal water quality by implementing best farming practices to reduce nutrient loadings to the Suwannee River.
• Reserve water for the restoration of the Loxahatchee River and estuary.
• Protect the environmental and economic significance of the Apalachicola River and Bay by meeting its long-term freshwater needs.

Enhancing Stewardship through Education

• Expand ocean and coastal science in our school’s curricula.
• Promote and fully utilize research and learning centers at Florida’s three National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR). A learning center opened in March 2004 at Rookery Bay NERR. Educational facilities at the Apalachicola and Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas NERRs are scheduled for completion in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Visit Environmental Education for more information.
• Raise citizen awareness to ocean and coastal issues in partnership with local governments.