1 2 3 4 DRAFT 5 6 7 SARASOTA BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM 8 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan 9 10 Update 2021 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Last Updated: June 2, 2021 21 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 22 The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan 23 (CCMP) was first adopted in 1995, then updated in 2010 and 2014. It was developed in part with 24 funds provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 through a cooperative 25 agreement. 26 This 2021–2026 CCMP Update was developed under the direction of Darcy Young by SBEP staff, 27 including Dr. David Tomasko, Mark Alderson, Dr. Jay Leverone, Darcy Young, Michael Dexter, and 28 Christine Quigley, as well as the Management Conference. Strategic planning support, facilitation, 29 research, writing, and mapping were provided by Shafer Consulting. Graphic design and document 30 production was provided by Cross Ink. SBEP staff and members of SBEP’s Technical Advisory 31 Committee, Citizen Advisory Committee, Management Board, and Policy Board provided critical 32 input and review. This Update greatly benefited from guidance and review by Felicia Burks, SBEP’s 33 Program Officer in EPA Region IV, Noemi Mercado, EPA Headquarters, Washington DC, and their 34 colleagues. This Update was approved by SBEP’s Policy Board in [Month 2021. Front Matter 2 35 ABOUT THE SARASOTA BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM 36 The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program is dedicated to restoring our area’s greatest and most important 37 natural asset – Sarasota Bay. We strive to improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and 38 enhance the natural resources of the area for use and enjoyment by the public. Sarasota Bay was 39 named an “estuary of national significance” by the U.S. Congress in 1989, laying the groundwork 40 for the Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program to join the National Estuary Program, now 28 strong. 41 SBEP is an intergovernmental partnership with a Management Conference that includes Manatee 42 and Sarasota Counties, the Cities of Bradenton and Sarasota, the Town of Longboat Key, the 43 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), the Florida Department of 44 Environmental Protection (FDEP), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US 45 EPA). In 2004, the partners signed an Interlocal Agreement that established the Sarasota Bay 46 Estuary Program as an independent special district of the state of Florida and committed the 47 partners to carrying out the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Sarasota Bay. 48 SBEP is governed by a Policy Board that consists of elected and appointed officials representing 49 each partner in the Interlocal Agreement. The SBEP Management Board, consisting of upper-level 50 administrators from each of the Interlocal Agreement partners and other regional agencies as well 51 as the chairs of the Technical Advisory Committee and the Citizens Advisory Committee, makes 52 recommendations to the Policy Board. 53 SBEP benefits from a Technical Advisory Committee of local scientists and managers and a Citizens 54 Advisory Committee of local community stakeholders. 55 56 SBEP staff gratefully acknowledge the service of all current and past Management Conference 57 Members. Front Matter 3 58 NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 59 David Tomasko, Ph.D. 60 Greetings! For those of you who don't know me, joining the SBEP as the new Executive Director in 61 2020 was a sort of homecoming for me. Back in the early 1990s, I was the first scientist for the 62 SBEP, after receiving the offer of employment from Mark Alderson, SBEP’s Executive Director from 63 1989 to 2020. Sarasota Bay's initial recovery started under Mark’s leadership, and we all owe him a 64 debt of gratitude for his leadership and passion. The first large-scale habitat restoration projects 65 were completed under his tenure, as well as the first diagnostic assessment of the health of the 66 bay. Important efforts to replace problematic septic tanks and under-performing wastewater 67 treatment plants occurred under his guidance and the bay's water quality and ecosystems started 68 to slowly recover in response to those actions. 69 However, the health of the bay has slipped over the past few years due to a combination of factors, 70 including population growth, aging infrastructure, and changes in rainfall patterns. As a result, the 71 bay's water quality and ecological health have declined. The condition of the bay is not as good as it 72 should be, and not as good as it could be. Nitrogen concentrations in the waters of Roberts, Little 73 Sarasota and Blackburn Bays have been higher over the past five to seven years than the worst 74 conditions seen over the prior fifteen years. This nutrient oversupply has increased the amount of 75 algae in the water, which has reduced water clarity. Increases in the amount of macroalgae along 76 the bay bottom have combined with the reduced water clarity to bring about a decline of seagrass 77 coverage of several hundred acres in the part of the bay south of Siesta Key Drive. In the northern 78 portions of the bay, two recent red tide episodes have brought about a decline of seagrass 79 coverage in excess of 2,000 acres, far exceeding the losses in the southern part of the bay, further 80 stressing the health of Sarasota Bay. 81 We must act quickly and decisively to restore water quality in the bay with renewed focus on 82 nutrient management in the watershed. This will in turn require a coordinated and sustained effort 83 to improve our stormwater and wastewater practices. Reducing our community’s nutrient 84 footprint will require government action, but much can be done by individuals as well. Combined 85 with focused improvements to our aging infrastructure, we can bring about a second period of 86 recovery in Sarasota Bay. The past thirty years of SBEP Management Conference leadership 87 showed that Sarasota Bay's ecological health can recover with sufficient action, so let's get to it! Front Matter 4 88 Front Matter 5 89 Front Matter 6 90 TABLE OF CONTENTS 91 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................... 2 92 About the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program ............................................................................................. 3 93 Note From The Executive Director ....................................................................................................... 4 94 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. 7 95 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 8 96 Water Quality and Quantity Action Plan ............................................................................................ 21 97 Watershed Habitats Action Plan ......................................................................................................... 74 98 Fish and Wildlife Action Plan ............................................................................................................ 112 99 Community Engagement Action Plan ............................................................................................... 146 100 Appendix 1: Action Plans At A Glance .............................................................................................. 176 101 Appendix 2: Crosswalk of 2014 CCMP Objectives and Activities to 2021 CCMP ............................. 188 102 References ........................................................................................................................................ 192 103 Acronyms .......................................................................................................................................... 207 104 Table of Contents 7 105 INTRODUCTION 106 The Greater Sarasota Bay Estuarine System is a 50-mile-long coastal lagoon located on the 107 southwest coast of Florida. Its interconnected Gulf waters, bays, and tidal creeks link together a 108 rich mosaic of bay habitats, including seagrass meadows, hardbottom, oyster reefs, beaches, and 109 saltwater and freshwater wetlands. These iconic Floridian habitats are animated with a great 110 diversity of fish and wildlife that underpin ecosystem integrity and function and provide the 111 foundational environmental services that drive the cultural identity and economies of our coastal 112 communities. 113 Callout box: Estuaries are partially enclosed coastal waterbodies where 114 saltwater from the ocean mixes with freshwater from rivers and creeks. 115 The land over which water collects and flows into a waterbody is called a 116 watershed. Estuarine habitats are among the most productive on earth, 117 providing food and critical habitat for 80 percent of fish and shellfish 118 species. Together with their associated watershed habitats, estuaries 119 provide important ecosystem services and support significant economic 120 and recreational activities. 121 Historically, Sarasota Bay’s alluring estuarine habitats teemed with abundant fish and wildlife – all 122 dependent on a delicate balance of water quality and healthy interconnected habitats. The bay’s 123 iconic beauty, abundant fish and shellfish, and charismatic birds, dolphins, manatees, and sea 124 turtles attracted and sustained residents from early indigenous peoples to Cuban fishers, to post- 125 World War II couples