On January 18, 2000, in recognition of the need to take decisive action to further protect and restore the Everglades ecosystem, the State of Florida embarked upon an unprecedented plan to finance Florida’s cost-share for implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, forwarded to Congress by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July 1999.  The State’s  plan includes a commitment of more than $100 million annually to be matched by an additional $100 million from South Florida resources for a total of $200 million each year.  The financing plan creates a unique Everglades trust fund to build reserves for restoration and calls for a new, stronger state/federal partnership.  This funding proposal, establishment of the Everglades Restoration Reserve Fund and the call for a new partnership with the federal government, are aimed at achieving a vision for America’s Everglades that restores the unique national treasure, protects the endangered or protected species in the Everglades ecosystem, preserves the quality of life, achieves a balance between land and water and protects coastal resources.  Legislation to fund the State of Florida's share of the costs to implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and create the Everglades Restoration Trust Fund was recently filed for consideration by the 2000 Florida Legislature.

 

Since its beginning on August 8, 1983, the Governor’s Everglades protection and restoration program has sought to have the Everglades look and function more as it did in 1900 than in 1983.  The program is guided by the principle that although the Everglades cannot be fully restored to its original condition, natural functions and values can be revitalized while maintaining an economically strong South Florida.

 

Recently revised, this comprehensive ecosystem restoration and protection program seeks to 1). restore and protect the Kissimmee River-Lake Okeechobee-Big Cypress/Ten Thousand Islands-Everglades/Florida Bay Ecosystem and protect the estimated 68 endangered and threatened species that depend on the Everglades system for survival; 2).  protect and enhance the water resources of South Florida; 3).  ensure effective implementation of the 1994 Florida Everglades Forever Act; 4).  reduce the flow of polluted water into the Everglades by establishing the numeric standard for phosphorous levels and accelerating research, demonstration and implementation of additional cleanup technologies and methods; 5). ensure that citizen’s property rights are protected as Everglades restoration is undertaken and that citizens participate in decision-making; and, 6).  ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are not wasted.  The Governor's Office and the Departments of Agriculture, Community Affairs, Environmental Protection and Transportation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District have been working and will continue to work together with local and Federal agencies to implement these objectives.

The progress toward reaching these objectives is substantial and has included: enactment of Federal and state legislation to protect the ecosystem; acquisition of hundreds of thousands of acres of environmental lands and the construction and operation of some of the World’s largest flow-through filtration marshes.  New water control features are being constructed to improve fresh water flows to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay; urban stormwater runoff is being treated; parks, preserves and refuges have been created or expanded and endangered plants and animals are being protected. Florida’s agencies have worked with Federal counterparts to develop knowledge and understanding of the Everglades ecosystem. In cooperation with Federal agencies and other interests, Florida has recommended plans for restoring the Everglades and is moving forward to implement those plans.

 

The state contribution to Everglades protection and restoration begins with land acquisition.  Florida has acquired approximately 51,115 acres in the Big Cypress National Preserve Addition, pursuant to provisions of the Federal legislation authorizing the Addition which require the state to share 20 percent of the costs of the 146,130 acre area.  The State is also acquiring land within the state designated " Big Cypress Area of Critical State Concern" and other parts of Southwest Florida to protect the Big Cypress Swamp and the Ten Thousand islands estuary. The State of Florida is also participating in acquiring the 109,400-acre Everglades National Park Expansion area.  In October 1994, Florida conveyed title to nearly 43,000 acres of land in the Park expansion area. The South Florida Water Management District and the State will continue to acquire land adjacent to the Park to help improve fresh water flows into the Park and Florida Bay

 

As is illustrated in Table 3 in Section 2 of this Cross-Cut Budget document, Florida State agencies including South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) have appropriated approximately $2.8 billion for Everglades ecosystem protection and restoration since August 1983 (beginning of the Governor's "Save Our Everglades" program).

 

Expenditures of $236.02 million for the period August 1983 to June 1993 do not include state or SFWMD costs for Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve or other land acquisition costs incurred before August 1983, nor administrative/management, land management, routine regulatory, and operation and maintenance costs. The costs do include land acquisition and project design, permitting and construction, and research/monitoring costs for the period.

 

Expenditures for FY 94 through 97 do not include certain administrative, management, regulatory and operation and maintenance costs. SFWMD expenditures for FY 94 & 95 were estimated based on District expenditure history for Everglades protection and restoration and for all years do not include Federal funds.

 

Florida State Agency contributions to Everglade's protection and restoration for state fiscal year 2000-01 are as follows:

 

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through the Office of Agricultural Water Policy, addresses water related issues relating to agriculture and ecosystem restoration.  The Office also has responsibility for the Department’s agriculture non-point source program that encompasses Lake Okeechobee and other agricultural areas in South Florida.  The Department’s Division of Forestry has responsibility for the management of Picayune State Forest (Golden Gate Estates and Belle Meade) in southeast Florida and is the lead agency dealing with wildfire suppression, prevention and forest protection in south Florida.

 

 

The following expenditure are planned by the DACS for the state fiscal year 2000-2001:

 

(thousands of dollars)
South Florida restoration coordination and planning:	2,100
Agriculture non-point source program	15,500
State Forest land management:	400
Wildlands and forest protection:	6,700
Total DACS	$24,700

 

 

 

The Department of Community Affairs’ mission is to create livable and sustainable communities that are safe, prosperous and energy efficient., DCA also helps manage growth by encouraging avoidance of sensitive natural areas and wise land use planning (e.g. reducing urban sprawl).  In South Florida, DCA is promoting the revitalization of the southeastern urban corridor as a means of protecting the Everglades ecosystem. The Department accomplishes this through representation on the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group and the Governor’s Commission for the Everglades.

 

To date, DCA has provided almost $2.5 million for Eastward Ho! implementation activities promoting infill development and redevelopment in the urban corridor to slow urban sprawl toward the Everglades.  In FY 98-99 the Department allocated $1.5 million over a two year period for sustainable South Florida-related activities.  In January of 1997, DCA designated five communities to take part in a Sustainable Communities Demonstration program.  Three of the five communities are in South Florida and are working with DCA to develop and implement strategic plans and incentives for sustainable development.  Since that time, with DCA’s assistance, 36 other communities have formed, a Florida Sustainable Communities Network.  DCA’s FY 99-00 budget includes approximately $500,000 for the sustainable communities initiative.

 

DCA’s comprehensive planning activities in South Florida also contribute to ecosystem restoration by promoting sound land use planning.  The Department administers two Areas of Critical State Concern in South Florida: one in the Big Cypress Swamp and the other in the Florida Keys.  This program allows DCA to assist local governments in planning and land use regulation decisions.  In FY 99-00, DCA will contribute to the following initiatives in the Florida Keys: the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study, Wastewater Master Plan, and the Cesspit Replacement Program.  For FY 2000-01, the DCA has requested funds to continue the Cesspit Replacement Program, and to contribute to the Monroe County Stormwater Master Plan, the Big Pine Key and No Name Key Habitat Conservation Plan, Monroe County comprehensive planning and a water quality monitoring.

                                                                       

The Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP) aims to protect and manage ocean resources, promote hazard mitigation, revitalize working waterfronts, and improve access to coastal resources.  In 1999-00 the FCMP will contribute $29,000 in NOAA funded, coastal Zone Management grants directly related to ecosystem restoration and sustainable development in South Florida.  The Florida Communities Trust program assists local governments in implementing their outdoor recreation and open space, conservation, and coastal management component of the local government comprehensive plans through grant awards for acquisition of recreation, conservation, and open space lands that further these comprehensive plan directives.

 

The following expenditures are planned by DCA for fiscal year 1999-00:

 

(thousands of dollars)

 

Sustainable South Florida Projects	500
Areas of Critical State Concern	1,974
Comprehensive Planning	680
Florida Coastal Management Program	29,000
DCA Total:	$31,830

 

The Department of Environmental Protection is Florida’s principal environmental protection agency.  The Department protects and monitors air and water quality, acquires and manages land important to ecosystem protection. It regulates air emissions, dredging and filling activities, mining and oil and gas production, development and exploration, prevents pollution and implements recycling programs, regulates solid and hazardous waste, operates and manages the State Park System; and protects and manages coastal marine, and estuarine resources.

 

Department priorities in South Florida are the implementation of the Everglades Forever Act (in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District), ecosystem restoration project management, planning and coordination, research and monitoring, aquatic plant control, and land acquisition and management. The department is also represented on the South Florida Ecosystem Task Force and Working Group, the Governor's Commission for the Everglades, and the Recover Team for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

 

The Department’s budget for FY-2000-2001 has not been approved as of this date, but expenditures of approximately $203,481,514 for South Florida ecosystem restoration, protection, land acquisition and management, planning, research and monitoring activities are planned.

 

Department of Environmental Protection FY 1999-2000 Budget for South Florida Ecosystem Restoration and Protection

 

Category	FY 1999-2000
Land Acquisition	$177,900,000
Aquatic and Upland Exotic/Invasive Plant Control	$8,750,000
State Park Operations and Management	$10,004,164
Everglades Technical Review (Everglades Forever Act)	$415,000
Ecosystem Projects	$242,095
Mercury Research and Monitoring	$1,550,000
Southeast Florida District Office	$742,058
South Florida District Office	$1,011,620
Central Florida District Office	$15,000
Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas	$2,851,577
Total:	$203,481,514

 

 

 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is the state agency responsible for the conservation of fish and wildlife.  It was formed in July 1999 through the merging of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and Florida Marine Fisheries Commission.  The new FWC is directed by the Florida Constitution to exercise the regulatory and executive powers of the state with respect to wild animal life, and freshwater aquatic life, and marine life.  Funding comes from general revenue appropriated by the Florida Legislature, hunting and fishing licenses, and several trust funds.  The FWC is comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate.  Approximately 1,700 staff implement the FWC programs, including land acquisition and management; regulation of hunting and fishing; and research and monitoring of fish, game, and nongame species.  The FWC provides technical assistance and interagency coordination for activities affecting fish and wildlife habitat in the state.

 

The FWC manages more than 1.6 million acres of land in the Kissimmee Lake

Okeechobee Everglades watershed, some 766,000 acres of which are in the historic Everglades River of Grass.  These lands are managed to support the natural diversity of fish and wildlife species typical of South Florida, including over 30 listed species.  The FWC implements research and monitoring for both saltwater and freshwater fisheries; research and monitoring of listed species, including the Florida panther, Florida grasshopper sparrow, Florida black bear, West Indian manatee, sea turtles, and wading bird rookeries; monitoring of mercury in fish; and the reintroduction of the whooping crane.  The law enforcement programs address lands managed by the FWC, and provide protection for private lands.  Pursuant to 1996 legislative action, the FWC has directed increased resources to Everglades restoration activities in cooperation with Federal, state, regional, and local agencies.

 

[Due to the fact that the FWC was formed within the past year, a comprehensive compilation of revenues dedicated to research, monitoring, management, and coordination on issues dealing with restoration of south Florida was not available at the time of printing.]

 

The Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) provides safe, aesthetically pleasing transportation for Florida’s citizens, visitors and commerce.  The DOT is nationally recognized for its aesthetically pleasing highways.  The department assists local and regional government agencies with funding, planning, design, mapping, transportation research and technical assistance.  It also plans and implements programs for energy efficient transit, public transit, transportation programs for the disadvantaged and handicapped and assists agencies in planning safe bicycle routes.

 

The department is among the top agencies of its type in the nation for protecting wildlife and redesigning roadways to restore natural water flow to overdrained areas.  It also leads the nation in providing funding and technical assistance to plan and implement greenways and trails.  Many of these bellwether programs have been implemented in South Florida, particularly the Big Cypress Swamp (Interstate-75/Alligator Alley), and Tamiami Trail.

 

The DOT provided $3,456,200 during FY1999/00 for designing wildlife crossings for the Florida key deer, support of the Key’s Carrying Capacity Study, support of the Florida key deer Conservation Plan, location and maintenance of Tamiami Trail culverts and various mitigation/maintenance projects in south Florida. The department’s planned expenditures for south Florida ecosystem restoration related programs in fiscal year 2000/2001 are:

 

(thousands of dollars)
Tamiami Trail culverts design and construction	10,400
Key Deer Habitat Conservation Plan Study contribution	200
Exotic plant control along I-75 Miami/Dade County	450
Exotic removal in the South Florida ecosystem along transportation rights-of-way	1,100
Key Deer Crossing Construction	3,600
South Florida Mitigation projects	154
South Florida mitigation projects-maintenance/monitoring	200
Total DOT:	$16,104

 

The Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida (GCSSF) was established by Executive Order in March 1994 to improve coordination of activities affecting the Everglades ecosystem, recommend actions for the restoration and protection of the ecosystem and recommend strategies to ensure the South Florida economy is based on sustainable economic activities that can coexist with a healthy Everglades.  The Commission was intended to enhance coordination among private and public organizations and has recommended action steps and conceptual plans to restore, better manage, preserve and protect the Everglades ecosystem and the South Florida economy. 

 

The Commission produced an Initial Report (October 1995), an Everglades Water Budget (July 1995), a report on Aquifer Storage and Recovery (May 1996), recommendations for Farm Bill expenditures (May 1996), a Conceptual Plan for Everglades Restoration (August 1996), an Eastward Ho! Report (July 1996), recommendations on the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group Critical Restoration Projects Lists (May 1997), a report on Energy Issues (August 1997), a Seepage Management Report (September 1997), an Interim Report on the C&SF Project Restudy (July 1998), a Full Cost Accounting Report (December 1998), and a Restudy Plan Report (January 1999), a report on Funding the Restudy of the Central and Southern Florida Project (March 1999), a report on the Draft Implementation Plan for the C&SF Project Restudy (March 1999), and Planning 2000: A Conceptual Plan to Achieve Sustainable Communities in South Florida.  The GCSSF completed its work in June 1999.

 

On June 24, 1999, Governor Bush signed Executive Order 99-144, establishing the Governor’s Commission for the Everglades (GCE) to replace the GCSSF.  The role of the GCE is to serve as an advisory body to the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, serves as a forum for improving decision-making and public participation in Everglades restoration and South Florida economic and community sustainability, evaluate and make recommendations on the funding and implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, consider the needs of rural and low income communities as Everglades restoration progresses, and recommend actions to better integrate land, water, and transportation planning for the South Florida region.

 

Commission Members and the Chair are appointed by the Governor to represent state, regional, local and tribal government, business, agriculture, and environmental and civic organizations. The Executive Director of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and the Chairman of the Working Group serve as non-voting, ex-officio members.

 

Planned projects for the coming year focus on providing review, evaluation, and recommendations for implementation and funding of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.  Work plan items include: serving as an advisory body to the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, identifying relevant issues in need of discussion and resolution and attempting to resolve any conflict, assisting the Task Force and Working group in improving public involvement and outreach efforts regarding Everglades restoration, evaluating critical water management issues and preparing recommendations for their resolution, making recommendations on how to better integrate rural and/or low-income community concerns with restoration efforts, and better integrating land use, water use and transportation planning.  Other activities the Commission may deal with include: recommending actions for developing a prototype rural project to demonstrate the application of full benefit/cost assessment for a selected Restudy component; making recommendations for enhancing sustainable and environmentally compatible development that sustains the regional economy and supports a healthy everglades ecosystem; making recommendations for creating sustainable agriculture programs compatible with ecosystem restoration and protection; and making recommendations for allocating natural resources to support natural and human systems.

 

Planned expenditures for the Commission for fiscal year 2000/01 from DOT, DEP, DCA, (including a NOAA Grant), and DACS are expected to be approximately $300,000.  This amount is not included in the grand total for the State of Florida.

 

 

 

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) works closely with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and other state and federal agencies,  and tribal governments, stakeholders and special interest groups to construct projects and implement programs to restore and protect the South Florida ecosystem.  The Florida Legislature also requires the SFWMD to manage water and related land resources; promote conservation, development and use of surface and ground water for reasonable beneficial uses; manage dams, impoundments, and other "Works of the District" to provide water storage; prevent flood and soil erosion damage; maintain navigable rivers and harbors; and promote outdoor recreation on publicly owned lands.

 

Currently, the SFWMD's priority ecosystem restoration and protection projects include:

 

            (1)     Development and execution of Pre-construction Engineering and Design (PED) Agreement with the USACE, followed by planning, engineering and design on projects included in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.  Work is also continuing on feasibility studies for the Indian River Lagoon, Water Preserve Areas, and Southwest Florida;

 

            (2)     Restoration of the Kissimmee River and floodplain (in cooperation with the USACE) through land acquisition, construction (backfilling 22 miles of canal and recarving 9 miles of remnant river channel), and a comprehensive ecological evaluation program;

 

            (3)     Protection of Lake Okeechobee by reducing nutrient loading and controlling the spread of nuisance and exotic plants;

 

            (4)     Implementation of the Everglades Program mandated by the Everglades Forever Act through land acquisition, construction of stormwater treatment areas (STAs) and hydropattern restoration projects (Everglades Construction Project), control of exotic plants, research and monitoring, and regulation;

 

            (5)     Restoration of the southern Everglades and Florida Bay (in cooperation with the USACE and ENP) through land acquisition (Frog Pond, Rocky Glades, Southern Glades), construction and operational changes to restore natural water flows to ENP and Florida Bay;

 

            (6)     Development and implementation of regional water management plans;

 

            (7)     Design and construction of seven Critical Restoration Projects (in cooperation with the USACE);

 

            (8)     Acquisition of lands needed for ongoing and future restoration projects (e.g., Water Preserve Areas, Ten Mile Creek), and for conservation and protection of critical wildlife habitat (e.g., Okaloacoochee Slough, Pal-Mar); and

 

            (9)     Control of invasive exotic pest plants in lakes, wetlands, and uplands throughout the South Florida ecosystem.

 

The District's total operating budget for FY00 is $469 million, of which approximately $338.5 million is allocated for land acquisition, construction, research, monitoring, planning, regulation, and other efforts necessary to accomplish planned ecosystem restoration and protection efforts.  The following table shows projected expenditures for South Florida ecosystem restoration efforts during FY 00.

 

South Florida Water Management District

FY 00 Budget for Ecosystem Restoration and Protection