Guardians of the Coast

In the course of this book, we've seen that Florida's coast is much more than just white-sand beaches. We've visited a number of coastal habitats barrier islands and sandy beaches, estuaries, marshes, mangroves and the coral reef and explored some of the issues facing Florida's coastal communities. While it's necessary for a publication of this type to divide the coast into habitats and issues that can be easily described, in reality the coast is not so neatly subdivided. It's a complex ecosystem encompassing the mainland and a variety of habitats joined one to the other, sometimes overlapping, sometimes intermingled, always in a great natural chain stretching from north to south, from the Atlantic to the Gulf. The coastal zone is best looked at as one ecosystem, formed where land and sea interact, reaching inland as far as waters flow and breezes blow. The issues we have described also are linked one to the other. For better or worse, people and their communities are an integral part of Florida's coast. Their decisions, their actions past, present and future have a tremendous impact on its very survival. In Florida, just about everyone has waterfront property.

The Health of Florida's coasts depends on citizen guardians like Alison Fahrer of Islamorada, who in 1994 received NOAA's "Volunteer of the year" Award for Excellence in Coastal Zone Management.

This broad approach may be easy to understand as a concept, but it is sometimes difficult to act on. Still, Florida's agencies both public and private are beginning to take a big-picture approach to coastal management and protection. Rather than dealing with a bay in one county separately from a marsh in another, Florida's coastal management efforts recognize the coast is a series of interlocking ecosystems. This is a fundamental and welcome shift in Florida's public policy, but it doesn't alter the fact that environmental action starts at home, in our communities and with individuals. This chapter describes the many programs working to conserve coastal resources, and what you can do to help.

Coastal Protection Begins at Home

It hardly seems necessary in these days of heightened environmental awareness to underscore the importance of coastal and marine resources. Floridians have long recognized the state's role in protecting our coast, and public support for its protection continues to rise. But government programs are only part of the answer. It is clear that if Florida's coast is to be preserved, it will happen community by community, as a result of a committed citizenry. Action must start at the local level. There are many things your family and your community can do to help protect Florida's coast. There are many community efforts that will have a lasting impact. The commitments made by federal, state and local governments are a direct response to public concern about protecting coastal resources, but they are only part of the solution. You must let them know that you care, and that you expect them to do what's best for the coast. The possibilities are in your hands. You, each and every one of you, can empower your community and its leaders to do the right thing. To take the big-picture approach. To plan for the coming growth in your community. To look for creative solutions. To become a guardian of the coast.

The Role of Local Governments

Despite many federal and state programs designed to preserve Florida's coast, the truth is much coastal protection takes place at the local level. The health of Florida's coast clearly depends on sensitive land-use decisions on the mainland and along the shore. Controlling the effects of future growth is critical, since the state's population continues to grow and locate on the coast. By getting involved in the planning stage, you can help make sure development happens in a manner that recognizes that the coastal environment is different from the rest of Florida. Local governments and community civic organizations have many excellent tools available to them to protect and manage their coastal resources. Their primary tool is the local government comprehensive plan and, specifically, the elements of the plan that focus on land use and development patterns, coastal management and conservation, and spending for capital improvements. The future land use element and map show what types of development can occur in which areas, and are the collective physical representation of all other aspects of the plan. The coastal management and conservation elements provide the basis and policies for recognizing, managing and protecting a community's natural resources. The capital improvements portion of the local plan is where a community decides how it will spend its money to achieve the plan's goals.

It's important to remember that local government comprehensive plans are working documents that can respond to evolving community needs. Opportunities for neighborhoods and community-based organizations to call for improvements happen twice a year. These plans, especially their coastal management elements, offer many avenues for public involvement. A second important tool available to communities is their land development regulations. These specific local ordinances detail what citizens must do to develop or redevelop their property. They cover issues like subdivision of land, site planning, zoning, landscaping, and environmentally sensitive area protection ordinances. A third tool, and one that often benefits from strong private sector involvement, is local land acquisition programs. Florida has a long and successful tradition of state and regional land acquisition. Portions of the state's Preservation 2000 land acquisition funds are spent on the coast. These activities are complemented by the efforts of several national land conservation organizations, such as the Trust for Public Land and The Nature Conservancy. During the last five years, they have been supplemented by many local land-buying programs. These local programs generally are the result of strong citizen support for a local bond referendum passed to buy environmentally sensitive lands that are or will be jeopardized by significant growth pressures. We have also seen the creation of numerous local land trusts, many of which work hand-in-hand with local government land acquisition programs. A fourth and final tool available to some communities to help manage and protect their coastal resources are nonprofit public interest organizations. These include community-based organizations such as The Conservancy Inc. in Naples or the Martin County Conservation Alliance, as well as several well-known national and statewide organizations. See Resources for a list of some of the groups interested in protecting and managing coastal areas. All of these groups are in one way or another the result of citizen involvement, and their ultimate success depends on the support and active participation of ordinary people.

Civic Organizations

Garden clubs, civic associations, scouts and religious groups, as well as public interest environmental organizations, all have a stake in protecting and restoring coastal areas. Some groups have been formed to help protect specific resources. Regional Agencies Many coastal issues are best looked at from a regional perspective. At least three regional networks are involved in the state's coastal protection efforts. Florida's eleven regional planning councils (RPCs) offer technical assistance to local governments on many coastal resource protection issues. The RPCs are guided by their strategic regional policy plans, which are part of the state's integrated planning framework and are charged with:

helping implement the state comprehensive plan;
providing long-range policy guidance on affordable housing, economic development, emergency preparedness, natural resources with regional significance, and regional transportation;
helping local governments resolve disputes;
providing a basis for reviewing large scale development projects; and
identifying facilities and natural resources with regional significance.

The importance of coastal resources to Florida and our communities is demonstrated in these regional plans. This planning process offers an excellent opportunity for communities and citizens to work together to acknowledge and support the management and protection of coastal resources on a regional level. The state's five water management districts also offer assistance to communities, and are important sources of information about all issues affecting Florida's water resources. The districts are responsible for all aspects of regional water resource management, from flood control to maintaining water quality and acquiring and managing natural systems. The districts also administer the state's Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program, which plans for the protection, restoration and management of the state's wetlands, springs, rivers, lakes and estuaries. (See Resources for complete lists of the state's regional planning councils and water management districts.) In many communities, streets and roads represent the largest percentage of public space. How this space is treated has a tremendous impact on the surrounding community and its natural and coastal resources. Transportation planning in Florida's urbanized areas is done primarily by 25 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs.) Historically, transportation planning in Florida has meant one thing: roads. These regional planning efforts are now beginning to emphasize meaningful continuous public participation, multi-modal transportation solutions, and greater flexibility in the use of transportation dollars. For example, money is now being targeted for enhancement activities such as provision of bicycle/pedestrian facilities, acquisition of scenic easements or scenic/historic sites, rehabilitation and operation of historic transportation buildings (including lighthouses,) landscaping and improving wetlands degraded by highway runoff. Along the coast, transportation access to ports is given high priority. Beginning in 1991, the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) required better coordination between transportation and land use and resource protection issues. Coastal communities often must address the challenge of providing mobility for residents and visitors while minimizing public expenditures in coastal high hazard areas places known to experience repeated damage from storms.

State Efforts

Florida's Coastal Management Program
Florida's state agencies are responsible for a wide variety of programs that set specific guidelines, regulations and policies on individual coastal issues. Tying these efforts together is the job of the Department of Community Affairs Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP.) FCMP has two important functions: It coordinates state programs affecting the coast to make sure they are consistent, and it acts as a bridge between state programs and the local level, helping local officials and citizens understand state guidelines and regulations and use resources available at the state level. FCMP is a unique partnership of eleven state agencies that work together to encourage protection, preservation and wise development of Florida's coastal areas. The program works with 195 local governments throughout Florida, helping them plan strategies to protect their coast. The program makes grants to communities to help them implement the coastal management elements of their comprehensive plans. The FCMP's priorities are guided by a coastal action plan and the advice of a 15-member, governor-appointed Citizens Advisory Committee on Coastal Resources Management (CAC), which was established to act as a voice for the public on priority coastal management issues. Made up of representatives from statewide coastal interests, including business, education, recreation, the environment and private citizens, the CAC is a leader in identifying coastal issues, raising public awareness of those issues, encouraging participation by members of the public, and advocating workable solutions.

Other state programs
The Florida Legislature, the governor, and members of the state Cabinet set statewide policy for coastal issues in Florida. These policies are carried out through programs in a number of state agencies. For a complete list, including responsibilities, addresses and telephone numbers, see Resources.

Federal Programs

The federal role in coastal protection is to provide a framework for government programs and funding for state and local efforts. The Coastal Zone Management Act passed in 1972 established national coastal management goals and policies and, beginning in 1980, encouraged coastal states to develop coastal management plans addressing issues such as natural resource protection, hazards management, facility siting, public access, urban waterfront and port redevelopment, and intergovernmental coordination. Florida's coastal management program was approved by the Federal Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1981. The state is eligible for more than $2 million in federal matching grants in 1995. Because no single agency at the federal level has control over coastal management, coordination among programs is imperative. One of the biggest challenges facing coastal advocates is ensuring that federal, state and community programs for coastal protection are playing by the same rules.