FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2005
CONTACT: Randy Smith, SFWMD, (561)-682-6197

First Annual South Florida Environmental Report Released Today

--Comprehensive report serves as model for other water management districts--

PALM BEACH -- In another first-of-its-kind effort, the South Florida Water Management District, in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, today published the first comprehensive report detailing a year of scientific, engineering and restoration work to improve the environmental quality of America’s Everglades and the entire South Florida ecosystem.

“Florida continues to make marked progress in restoring America’s Everglades, the Kissimmee River and the South Florida ecosystem,” said Colleen M. Castille, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “Remaining focused on first-rate science and engineering, along with sound fiscal management, is a formula that is bringing environmental results.”

The result of a pilot project authorized by the Florida Legislature last spring, the 2005 South Florida Environmental Report consolidates more than 50 separate reports and documents the State’s significant restoration progress. Among the key findings over the last year:

• Treatment marshes and agricultural programs removed 1,700 metric tons of phosphorus since 1994 that otherwise would have entered the Everglades.
• Wading birds, an important indicator of environmental health, had one of their best breeding years in decades, with more than 50,000 nests documented throughout the region.
• Close to 8,000 acres of land were added to the District’s holdings for projects in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The State has now acquired 206,109 acres, more than 50 percent of the land needed to complete the entire $8 billion restoration.

The new 2005 South Florida Environmental Report covers Everglades programs along with projects on Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries, Florida Bay and Florida Keys, the Kissimmee and Loxahatchee rivers, and other waterways. Serving as a model for comprehensive environmental reporting by water management districts across the state, the two-volume report provides a centralized, “one-stop-shop” for information on environmental restoration, management and protection in South Florida.

“It took a lot of coordination at the state level and within our agency to put this consolidation plan into action but the result is well worth it,” said Henry Dean, Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District. “I can now hold a year’s worth of outstanding District work and impressive environmental progress in one hand— and easily share it with the world.”

Before this year, dozens of documents, including the Everglades Consolidated Report, were required to fulfill the District’s many annual reporting responsibilities as mandated by state and federal laws. With its extensive research summaries, data analyses, financial updates and searchable database of environmental projects, the 2005 South Florida Environmental Report improves efficiency in information gathering, reduces production, printing and distribution costs and provides consistency in activity reporting.

In the coming months, the Florida Legislature will consider recommendations made by the South Florida Water Management District and decide whether to turn the pilot project into a permanent requirement for the state’s five water management districts.

How to view the report: