Coordinating Success Strategy for Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem Tracking Success Biennial Report for FY 2006-2008 of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Integrated Financial Plan to the U.S. Congress, Volume 1 Coordinating Success and Tracking Success Success and Tracking 1 Coordinating Volume Florida Legislature, Seminole Tribe of Florida and Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida Volume 1 of 2 Coordinating and Tracking Success Task Force U.S. Department of the Interior (Chair) U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of the Army U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Department of Transporation U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida Seminole Tribe of Florida Florida Department of Environmental Protection South Florida Water Management District Florida Governor’s Office Two Local Governments - Cities of Sweetwater and South Bay Working Group U.S. Department of the Interior: National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Department of the Army: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Department of Commerce: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Ocean Service; Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; U.S. Department of Justice; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Transportation; Miccocukee Tribe of Indians of Florida; Seminole Tribe of Florida; State of Florida: Florida Office of the Governor, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, South Florida Water Management District, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Department of Transporation. No more than five representatives of local governments or regional planning councils. Science Coordination Group U.S. Department of the Interior: National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. Department of Agriculture: Natural Resources Conservation Service, Agricultural Research Service; U.S. Department of Commerce: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service - SEFSC, Ocean and Atmospheric Research - AOML; U.S. Department of the Army: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida; Seminole Tribe of Florida; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Florida Department of Environmental Protection; South Florida Water Management District; Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resource Management; Palm Beach County; Florida Atlantic University. South Florida Ecosytem South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Volume 1 COORDINATING SUCCESS 2008: Strategy for Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem and TRACKING SUCCESS: Biennial Report of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force for July 2006 – June 2008 To the U.S. Congress, Florida Legislature, Seminole Tribe of Florida, and Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida This is Volume 1 of a two-volume report. Volume 1 contains the coordination strategy and biennial report of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. Volume 2 contains the Integrated Financial Plan, including descriptions of all the individual projects that participating entities have identified as supporting ecosystem restoration. Both volumes combine information from federal, state, tribal, and local agencies and therefore do not strictly follow any single agency’s format. iii South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Members* Jose L. Diaz Ron Tenpas Commissioner, Miami-Dade County, Assistant Attorney General, State of Florida Representative Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice Towson Fraser Deputy Chief of Staff, Carol Ann Wehle Executive Office of the Governor of Florida Executive Director, South Florida Water Management District Benjamin Grumbles Acting Assistant Administrator for Water, John Paul Woodley, Jr. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), U.S. Department of the Army Timothy Keeney Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Vacant Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric State of Florida Representative Administration Special Advisors: Linda Lawson Michael Collins Director, Office of Safety, Energy, and Environment, Chair, Water Resources Advisory Commission Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, Greg May U.S. Department of Transportation Executive Director, South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Dexter Lehtinen Special Assistant for Everglades Issues, Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida * As of June 2008 ** Chair Gary Mast *** Vice-Chair Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture Kameran Onley** Assistant Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior Jim Shore General Counsel, Seminole Tribe of Florida Michael Sole*** Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection iv Task Force Working Group Members* Ken Ammon** W. Ray Scott South Florida Water Management District Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Stuart Appelbaum U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Paul Souza U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Billy D. Causey Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Jon Steverson Executive Office of the Governor, State of Florida Sheri Coven Florida Department of Community Affairs Craig D. Tepper Seminole Tribe of Florida Robert W. Crim Florida Department of Transportation Kenneth S. Todd Palm Beach County Administration Wayne E. Daltry Lee County Smart Growth Joseph T. Walsh Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Truman Eugene (Gene) Duncan Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida Edward Wright Natural Resources Conservation Service, Joe Frank U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Indian Affairs Vacant Roman Gastesi National Marine Fisheries Service Miami-Dade County Vacant George Hadley Environmental Protection and Growth Management Federal Highway Administration Department, Broward County Veronica Harrell-James Special Advisor: U.S. Attorney’s Office Greg May Executive Director, Eric Hughes South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Greg Knecht Florida Department of Environmental Protection * As of June 2008 ** Chair Dan Kimball*** *** Vice Chair Everglades National Park Barry Rosen U.S. Geological Survey v Task Force Science Coordination Group Members* Ken Ammon Bill Reck South Florida Water Management District Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Calvin Arnold Agricultural Research Service, Garth Redfield U.S. Department of Agriculture South Florida Water Management District John D. Baldwin Terry Rice Florida Atlantic University Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida Lisa Beever Dan Scheidt Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ronnie Best Deborah J. Shafer U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joan Browder Rock Salt*** National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of the Interior Ken Haddad** Special Advisor: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Greg May Executive Director, Todd Hopkins South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Christopher Kelble National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration * As of June 2008 ** Chair Chad Kennedy *** Vice Chair Florida Department of Environmental Protection Dan Kimball National Park Service Cherise Maples Seminole Tribe of Florida Susan Markley Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management vi Volume 1 — Table of Contents xv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COORDINATING SUCCESS 2008: Strategy for Restoration of the South Florida Ecosystem 2 STRATEGY PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND 2 Purpose 2 Who Is Involved: The South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force 4 Brief History of South Florida Ecosystem Management 8 What Is at Stake RESTORATION STRATEGY 9 Guiding Principles 11 Task Force Roles in the Coordination of the Restoration Effort VISION AND INDICATORS OF SUCCESS 13 Vision 13 Indicators of Success STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 22 GOAL 1: Get the Water Right 32 GOAL 2: Restore, Preserve, and Protect Natural Habitats and Species 43 GOAL 3: Foster Compatibility of the Built and Natural Systems 57 Linkages between Strategic Work Efforts and Ecosystem Restoration TRACKING SUCCESS: Biennial Report of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force 62 BIENNIAL REPORT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 62 Background 63 Purpose 64 ACTIVITIES, PRIORITIES, POLICIES, STRATEGIES, PLANS, PROGRAMS,AND PROJECTS: JULY 2006 THROUGH JUNE 2008 64 Intergovernmental Coordination 65 Coordination of Strategic Science Issues 66 Exchange of Information 67 Facilitation and Conflict Resolution 68 Public Participation and Access 69 CERP Programs and Projects 77 GOAL 1: Accomplishments: Getting the Water Right 93 GOAL 2: Accomplishments: Restoring, Preserving, and Protecting Natural Habitats and Species 105 GOAL 3: Accomplishments: Fostering Compatibility of the Built and Natural Systems 121 MEASURING PROGRESS TOWARD RESTORATION APPENDICES 149 Appendix A: Integrated Financial Plan 167 Appendix B: Total Cost Estimate 171 Appendix C: An Additional View of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida 185 Appendix D: Water Resources Development Act of 2000, Title VI,