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Currents and Crossroad: a Vision for Florida's Ocean and Coasts

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CURRENTS & Solutions CROSSROADS A VISION FOR FLORIDA’S OCEAN & COASTS 1 WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT FLORIDA? Healthy Florida Ocean & Coast Florida’s ocean and coastal environment drives the economy and culture of the state, making it a For me and for so many Americans, it’s emerald waters. Sandy beaches. Diverse coral reefs. world-renowned destination. In this section, we lay out key pillars of a healthy ocean and coast. Sea turtles. Manatees. Fresh seafood. I constantly marvel at the ocean and coastal riches bestowed on this state. FLORIDA COASTAL CONNECTIONS 4 Florida has an iconic natural environment. It is surrounded by and dependent on clean water. From the Panhandle to the Treasure Coast to the Florida Keys, you’re never more than CLEAN AND ABUNDANT WATER 6 60 miles from the beach. Florida’s coasts serve as treasured sanctuaries and economic engines – places to enjoy as well as earn a living and build a life. Ocean Conservancy has HEALTHY BEACHES 8 been honored to work in Florida for more than 30 years, working to keep beaches clean and fisheries healthy. During our time in this state we have seen time and again the deep THRIVING HABITATS 10 passion that Floridians have for their ocean and coasts. ABUNDANT WILDLIFE 12 Florida is now at a crossroads. It seems like new threats emerge every day that risk taking away that special connection to the ocean. We’ve seen harmful algal blooms blanket PLENTIFUL FISHERIES 14 both coasts. Pollution, from oil and gas to plastic trash, hurts Florida’s diverse wildlife and threatens the state’s pristine beaches and waters. And long-term threats like ocean acidification and sea level rise are already having clear impacts, with even more harm Challenges & Solutions looming just over the horizon. Florida is at a crossroads. Many challenges have arisen that jeopardize our environment and economy. We highlight these challenges and provide examples of solutions to address each one. Floridians, however, are resilient. When it matters most, Floridians come together to find ways to protect their home. HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS 18 At Ocean Conservancy, we share Floridians’ optimism for healthier and cleaner beaches and WATER QUALITY & QUANTITY 20 coasts. But how do we get there? In looking at the massive amounts of information available about Florida’s beaches and coasts, we found ourselves wishing for a single document that OCEAN ACIDIFICATION 22 did the following: CORAL DISEASE & BLEACHING 23 1) Articulates the many ways that Florida depends on its beaches, coasts and ocean; 2) Provides a comprehensive overview of the serious challenges facing Florida’s beaches, OIL & GAS DRILLING AND POLLUTION 24 coasts and ocean environments; and 3) Provides solutions to address those challenges. OCEAN TRASH 26 This report sets out a vision for Florida’s ocean and coasts. We know this is a phenomenal COASTAL DEVELOPMENT 28 challenge – to imagine and then realize a Florida whose beaches are (even more) vibrant, whose waters are clean and accessible to all, and whose ocean is thriving and providing for millions. SEA LEVEL RISE & FLOODING 30 We are up to the challenge – and we hope that you are, too. EXTREME WEATHER 32 SOLUTIONS 34 Janis Searles Jones Chief Executive Officer Ocean Conservancy 2 HEALTHY FLORIDA OCEAN & COAST Florida’s ocean and coastal environment drives the economy and culture of the state, making it a world-renowned destination. In this section, we lay out key pillars of a healthy ocean and coast. F I R S PAN T HA N C DL FLORIDA COASTAL CONNECTIONS E O A S Floridians rely on healthy ocean and coastal environments for work and play. T WATER EVERYWHERE RESIDENTS NATURE Healthy Florida Ocean & Coast FLORIDIANS’ ORIGINS Florida is unique in the length COAST Florida is the 3rd most populous U.S. state, and its population is of its coastline, peninsular growing rapidly due in large part to people moving to Florida from 20% shape, low elevation and born other states and countries. porous limestone bedrock. EAST CENTRAL outside 36% U.S. born in These characteristics combine W Florida to create a state with diverse E • 800 – daily population growth S T and interconnected freshwater C • 21 million – residents and saltwater resources. E N 44% born T R • 12% – increase in population from 2010 to 2017 in another A U.S. state L S S O O U U T T S H H O F VISITORS 8,436 Miles F U F L L T L O The length of Florida’s O H O R nd R W R I 60 Miles coastline, the 2 longest I D I E D Florida is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, with D S A coastline of any U.S. state A T A the number of visitors increasing steadily every year. The furthest distance you can be from the (#1 is Alaska) • 119 million – number of tourists that visited Florida in 2017 coast in Florida • 45% – increase in tourist visits from 2010 to 2017 FLORIDA • Visiting a beach or waterfront area is the top activity for Florida’s tourists, who spent $112 KEYS billion and supported 1.4 million local jobs in the state in 2016 ECONOMIC IMPACT 83% Percentage of ocean Almost half a million Floridians work in the ocean economy, which includes jobs in tourism & recreation, jobs in tourism & marine transportation, marine construction, ship and boat building and living resources (including fishing). recreation $14 BILLION Florida employs more people in marine construction than any other state and ranks 2nd nationally in total Annual wages in ocean- ocean employment. The ocean economy contributes $30 billion annually to Florida’s gross domestic product. related jobs 4,150 “My family have been Floridians going on seven generations. Since my ancestors first came here in the 19th Number of islands, 477,333 that are at least 10 century, our way of life has been tied to Florida’s coasts, both as a source of cultural identity and as a Number of Floridians acres, more than any livelihood. Two centuries later, Floridians are still making their living on the water, and we are still taking who work directly in other state except our identity from the sunshine and sand that make the state so special – it’s a way of life that is worth ocean-related jobs Alaska preserving, and they key is in ensuring healthy coastal ecosystems that drive robust coastal economies.” — JP BROOKER, OCEAN CONSERVANCY STAFF AND ST. PETERSBURG, FL RESIDENT 4 5 CLEAN & ABUNDANT WATER 5,000 species in Indian River Lagoon Floridians’ lives are shaped by the waters that surround them: hauntingly beautiful Watershed rely on springs, iconic coastal waters, the mammoth Lake Okeechobee and the one-of-a-kind water flowing from 7 Apalachicola counties Everglades. oysters depend on Healthy Florida fresh water flowing Ocean & Coast from the Apalachicola- Chattahoochee-Flint Florida’s waters - salt and fresh, above ground and below - permeate the river system state in interconnected and deeply interdependent systems. The interconnected INLAND WATERS: OCEAN WATER: nature of water 90% of Floridians rely on Florida’s coastal waters are resources across the groundwater for their water connected to three large state means that the supply. Two quadrillion gallons marine ecosystems: the ‘River of Grass’ health of freshwater Term coined by famous of water flow through Florida’s 41 southeast U.S. continental systems is critical writer and environmentalist underground aquifer and fill Number of outstanding shelf (Atlantic Coast), Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Florida’s springs. Florida waterbodies that Caribbean Sea and to maintaining the to describe the wide, slow- receive special water Gulf of Mexico. health of our ocean flowing wetlands of the Everglades quality protection environment. Seagrass in Florida 95% Bay depends on 1,700 Percentage of recreationally restoring natural, clean Number of rivers in and commercially important freshwater flows from Florida, through which fish and shellfish species the Everglades water flows from that spend part of their lives inland to the in estuaries, where rivers sea meet the sea “In Florida, the health of our ocean and estuaries, and the fisheries and jobs that they support, are inextricably linked to the health of our freshwater ecosystems. Whether it’s the mighty Apalachicola River that feeds Apalachicola Bay, Tampa Bay and the four major tributaries FILTRATION: HABITAT: HUMAN USE: that feed it, the CaloosAHatchee River and its estuary, or the St. Lucie Mangroves, seagrasses and Springs, watersheds and Groundwater moves in River and estuary, we have to manage our water resources holistically. corals thrive when the state’s groundwater feed the complex ways through Ultimately, our ocean, our estuaries and our rivers are all connected.” swamps, marshes and other state’s rivers and support underground caves, sinkholes wetlands are healthy enough catfish, mullet, bass, gar, and caverns providing drinking Andy HaYslip, Executive Director AT Tampa Bay Waterkeeper WHICH IS to remove excess nutrients many species of birds and water for Florida’s 21 million dedicated to ensuring fishable, swimmable and drinkable water for from fresh water before it overwintering manatees. residents. all; for people, for our environment and for our economy. flows into the sea. 6 7 HEALTHY BEACHES $2 40,000- Florida’s beaches are iconic, culturally and economically important and 825 30 26% provide habitat for many species, as well as storm and flood protection for BILLION 80,000 Percentage of Miles of Number of rare plant visitors who coastal communities. Beaches are also the top tourist attraction in Florida and beaches Estimated Nests on Healthy Florida and animal choose Florida Ocean & Coast in Florida tourist Florida the strongest element of Florida’s state brand.
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