BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY"

Alexia Booker
5 years ago
Views:

7A BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY PLACEMENT: REQUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS PRESET: 2:30 PM TITLE: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PRESENTATION ABOUT CORAL REEFS AGENDA

1 7A BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY PLACEMENT: REQUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS PRESET: 2:30 PM TITLE: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PRESENTATION ABOUT CORAL REEFS AGENDA ITEM DATES: MEETING DATE: 5/8/2018 COMPLETED DATE: 4/26/2018 COUNTY ATTORNEY: 4/16/2018 ASSISTANT COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR: 4/23/2018 REQUESTED BY: DEPARTMENT: PREPARED BY: Name: Honorable Commissioner Doug Smith Name: Procedures: None EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Engineering Kathy FitzPatrick, P.E. Coastal Engineer Estimated presentation: 10 minutes. Joanna Walczak, the Southeast Regional Administrator for Florida Department of Environmental Protection s Coastal Office will update the Commission on the status of the Florida Coral Reef Tract. She will provide information on the growing coral disease epidemic, actions being taken by the Department and others to better understand the outbreak and efforts to achieve a resilient coral reef ecosystem. APPROVAL: ACA CA BACKGROUND/RELATED STRATEGIC GOAL: 80970f1c 1 of 6

2 The Florida Reef Tract extends from the Dry Tortugas all the way north along the east coast of Florida to the St. Lucie Inlet. The coral animals that build this reef have been showing signs of stress related disease, and in some cases mortality, for years. Coral research worldwide has shown that there are many factors that contribute to the decline of coral resiliency. These factors can include, impaired water quality, over fishing, warming sea temperature, direct and indirect impacts from coastal construction, introduction of invasive species, direct contact by divers, increased acidity of water and more. The portion of the reef tract that extends south from Key Biscayne has actively been managed to improve resilience since the establishment of Biscayne National Park in 1980 and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in There is no similar management initiative for the reefs that run north from the northern boundary of Biscayne National Park to the St. Lucie Inlet even though most coral stressors are multiplied many fold in this region due to the size and proximity of the population that is present. Martin County has been an active partner with the Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other Southeast Florida stakeholders in efforts to define our coral resources and promote conservation efforts to safeguard their future. The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) is a collaborative effort that was formed in 2004 to address this goal in a community based manner. The SEFCRI s Our Florida Reefs process provided an opportunity for a grassroots forum to develop a list of recommended management strategies to conserve and restore coral reefs in southeast Florida. Concurrently, the Coastal Ocean Task Force and later the Coastal Ocean Forum were created to provide a legislative consortium available to assist with the implementation of marine conservation and management strategies. More recently, there have been setbacks and successes. Beginning in 2014, an unidentified coral disease was reported. The disease has moved through the reef tract at an alarming rate, and is historic in its magnitude. In 2017 the disease, including major mortality, was reported all the way from St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County to the 7-Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. Martin County emerged as a leader in coral reef conservation by passing a series of resolutions demanding legislative action to address this accelerated decline in coral resiliency. These resolutions were adopted by other counties and joined Martin County is educating members in the state legislature on the far reaching benefits from a healthy coral reef system in Florida. In FY17/18 the state legislature recognized the importance of and the threat to the Florida Reef Tract and appropriated $1M for coral related water quality monitoring and coral disease mitigation efforts. This funding was incorporated into the FDEP annual budget in Also in the 2018 Legislature, a legal designation was created for the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Area. The next step will be to build off of previous agency and stakeholder efforts to identify appropriate management actions to conserve the resource. Ms. Joanna Walczak, the Southeast Regional Administrator for Florida Department of Environmental Protection s Coastal Office will update the Commission on her program and the status of the Florida Coral Reef Tract. ISSUES: Challenges to coral health and recovery remain. Martin County staff will continue to work collaboratively with staff from Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties to identify opportunities at the federal, state and local level that would benefit coral conservation and bring them to our respective commissions f1c 2 of 6

3 LEGAL SUFFICIENCY REVIEW: n/a RECOMMENDED ACTION: RECOMMENDATION Receive presentation and provide staff with direction, as necessary. ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS None FISCAL IMPACT: RECOMMENDATION n/a ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS n/a DOCUMENT(S) REQUIRING ACTION: Budget Transfer / Amendment Chair Letter Contract / Agreement Grant / Application Notice Ordinance Resolution Other: ROUTING: _ ADM _ BLD _ CDD _ COM _ ENG _ FRD _ GMD _ GSD _ ITS _ LIB _ MCA _ MPO _ PRD _ USD X CA X ACA _ LEG 80970f1c 3 of 6

The Florida Reef Tract is currently experiencing one of the most widespread and lethal coral disease outbreaks on record worldwide. Key factors of the outbreak include: Large geographic range.

4 The Florida Reef Tract is currently experiencing one of the most widespread and lethal coral disease outbreaks on record worldwide. Key factors of the outbreak include: Large geographic range. Over half of the Florida Reef Tract has been affected. Duration of the outbreak. Disease has continued to spread for over three years without interruption. Number of coral species affected. 23 of 45 species of Florida s reefbuilding corals have been affected. High rates of disease transmission and mortality. Once a coral is infected, observations show that the colony will die within weeks to months. In FY 17, the Florida Legislature allocated $1 Million to support Florida s coral reefs, including disease response activities. Governor Scott s FY 18 budget recommends continuation of FY 17 funding. Priority coral disease response activities include: Coral disease investigation training on coral disease identification, ecology, and investigation techniques. Coral disease surveys and fixed site monitoring to document the spatial extent, mortality rates, and species-specific impacts. Strategic sampling and laboratory analysis to identify the presence of pathogens potentially responsible for the disease outbreak. Data management and epidemiological analysis to analyze relevant datasets and determine what factors may influence disease progression. Sampling plan and disease intervention workshops to determine priority data needs and potential management options to mitigate disease impacts. Intervention experiments and field trials to assess the effectiveness of treatment techniques and prevent the further spread of disease. For More Information Visit: 4 of 6

Coral Disease Outbreak on the Florida Reef Tract 2014 2017 The loss of coral colonies across the Florida Reef Tract is unprecedented.

Funding to date is being used to assess the scale and severity of the outbreak, and identify any potential primary and/or secondary

Governor Scott s FY 18 budget recommends continuation of FY 17 funding.

5 Coral Disease Outbreak on the Florida Reef Tract The loss of coral colonies across the Florida Reef Tract is unprecedented. Key factors are high rates of disease transmission and mortality combined with the number of impacted species. Funding to date is being used to assess the scale and severity of the outbreak, and identify any potential primary and/or secondary causes. In FY 17, the Florida Legislature allocated $1 Million to support Florida s coral reefs, including disease response activities. Governor Scott s FY 18 budget recommends continuation of FY 17 funding. The alarming rate of continued spread of disease requires immediate field trials of intervention techniques to identify the most effective treatments for saving remaining coral colonies across the Florida Reef Tract. 5 of 6

6 6 of 6

Florida Reef Resilience Program. Disturbance Response Monitoring. Quick Look Report: Summer 2016

Florida Reef Resilience Program Disturbance Response Monitoring Quick Look Report: Summer 2016 Introduction The summer of 2016 was a mild to moderate bleaching year for Florida s coral reefs. Moderate