The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA) oversees the management of Florida's 41 Aquatic Preserves, three National Estuarine Research Reserves (Reserves), one National Marine Sanctuary and the Coral Reef Conservation Program. These protected areas comprise more than 4 million acres of the most valuable submerged lands and select coastal uplands in Florida. With public input, CAMA successfully developed a Program Overview (pdf - 4.29 MB) that provides the statewide perspective to our Aquatic Preserve Program.

CAMA is now updating site specific management plans for its Aquatic Preserves and Reserves. Sites will be holding public scoping meetings to receive input on the draft plans. These scoping meetings will assist in crafting the content for site management plans. The objectives of the public scoping meetings are to:

• Inform the public about the history, purpose and scope of management plan development.
• Solicit public input regarding issues and opportunities that should be addressed in the management plan.

Using this information as a guide, a management plan is developed with the additional assistance of an advisory committee made up of stakeholders.

Once a draft management plan is developed, it is presented to the public at a formal public meeting and on the website. The objectives of this formal public meeting are to:

• Present the draft management plan with a focus on issues, goals, objectives, and strategies.
• Receive feedback from the public and stakeholders on the draft management plan.

With this input, the plan is further amended and finalized to be sent to the Governor and Cabinet for adoption.