The program is responsible for developing water quality standards, evaluating water quality in accordance with those standards, and executing programs necessary to restore the quality of waters that do not meet the standards; supporting local governments and other entities financially to protect and restore water resources; restoring Florida's Everglades and other related South Florida ecosystems; and supervising Florida's aquatic preserves. The program also has oversight of the state's five water management districts.
It is a policy of the Florida Legislature that the state's water resources be managed at a state and regional level. The department is responsible for the administration of water resources at the state level and exercises general supervisory authority over the five water management districts, which administer water resources at the regional level.
The Office of Water Policy leads in developing appropriate water policies based on statutory direction, overseeing the water management districts and coordinating department and district water programs. The department and the water management districts are responsible for water management in four key areas.
In addition, regulatory programs delegated to the water management districts include programs to manage the consumptive use of water, well construction, and environmental resource permitting.
| Title | Fund | Dollars | Positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| PROGRAM: WATER POLICY AND ECOSYSTEMS RESTORATION | |||
| WATER POLICY AND ECOSYSTEMS RESTORATION |
504,066,883
|
24.00 |
|
TOTAL |
504,066,883 |
24.00 |
Protection of Ecological Systems. The 2021 Legislature enacted Chapter 2021-181, Laws of Florida, creating the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, which encourages support, incentives, and funding of the Florida Wildlife Corridor to preserve and protect green infrastructure and wildlife habitat. The law sets out the duties of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with respect to the wildlife corridor. The law does not authorize or affect the use of private property. The law requires the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), in consultation with DEP, Seminole County, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Department of Transportation, to issue a report by December 31, 2021, on the implementation of recommendations from the Little Wekiva Watershed Management Plan Final Report from November 2005. The law requires DEP and SJRWMD to review any permits which SJRWMD has determined may have contributed to sediment buildup north of State Road 436 to assess whether a permittee is in violation of permit conditions. Appropriate action to resolve compliance issues must be taken if a violation is discovered. DEP and SJRWMD shall review known permit violations that have occurred since 2018 and attempt to determine what effects such violations may have had on sediment accumulation in the Little Wekiva River.
Water Storage North of Lake Okeechobee. The 2021 Legislature enacted Chapter 2021-40, Laws of Florida, which conforms statutes to the funding decisions related to water storage north of Lake Okeechobee in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. The law requires the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), to expedite implementation of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project (LOWRP). The LOWRP is a project in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan which provides water storage north of Lake Okeechobee.
Purchase of Commodities and Services by Water Management Districts. The 2021 Legislature enacted Chapter 2021-62, Laws of Florida, which expressly authorizes water management districts to purchase commodities and contractual services from the purchasing contracts of the following entities:
The purchasing contract of the other entity must have been procured pursuant to competitive bid, request for proposal, request for qualification, competitive selection, or competitive negotiation. The purchasing contract must otherwise be in compliance with general law and must be procured by a process that meets the procurements requirements of the water management district. The law excludes from the authorization services by professionals in the fields of architecture, professional engineering, landscape architecture, or registered surveying and mapping.