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| Agency overview | |
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| Preceding agencies |
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| Jurisdiction | State of Florida |
| Employees | 4200 (2021) |
| Annual budget | US$1.44 billion (FY15–16) |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | www |
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is the Florida government agency responsible for environmental protection.
By the mid-1960s, when the federal government was becoming increasingly involved in initiatives designed to protect the country's environmental interests, Florida had four agencies involved with environmental protection: the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund (state land, including shores, beaches, wetlands, and bodies of water), the Department of Health (sewage treatment, drinking water quality), Florida Department of Natural Resources (state parks and recreation areas), and Game and Freshwater Fish Commission (hunting and fishing). [1]
In the late 1960s, the Florida Department of Air and Water Pollution Control was created under Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. Most staff were being taken from the Bureau of Sanitary Engineering of the state Department of Health. The name of the new agency was simplified to the Florida Department of Pollution Control.[ citation needed ]
In the mid-1970s, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (FDER) was created from the Department of Pollution Control and portions of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund and the Florida Department of Natural Resources. This revised agency was entrusted with the quality of the state's air and water, and with making major land management decisions, primarily related to shorelines and wetlands.[ citation needed ]
The FDER began supervising five water management districts that had been established in 1972 under Chapter 373 of Florida Statutes to control all freshwater located in the state: The Suwannee River Water Management District, St. Johns River Water Management District, Southwest Florida Water Management District, South Florida Water Management District, and Northwest Florida Water Management District.[ citation needed ]
By 1992, it was the nation's third-largest such state agency, with 1,500 employees and a budget of some $650 million. [2] In 1993, the state merged the DER with the substantially larger Department of Natural Resources, creating the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. [3] Virginia Bass Wetherell was named Secretary of the new agency.
In 2004, it started the 'Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative', 6 years after a presidential order had instructed 7 states with reefs to develop roadmaps of conservation. [4] : 7
During the period from 2000 to 2005, the department functioned with a staff of about 3,600 employees and its annual budget averaged $1.9 billion ($1,899,731,705).[ citation needed ]
In 2011, DEP suspended its wetlands director "after she refused to approve a permit to a failed effort to sell off surplus park land" and Everglades scientists. Leading positions have been filled by prior consultants for developers and polluting industries in revolving door (politics). The regulatory climate has changed from "prosecuting violations to helping industry avoid fines". [5]
Until July 1, 2012, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) had a law enforcement contingent, referred to as the Division of Law Enforcement (DLE), which included sworn state law enforcement officers and special agents as well as emergency responders to hazardous materials incidents.[ citation needed ]
The patrol bureau was divided into 4 districts: NE, NW, SE & SW. The approximately 90 sworn state officers assigned to the patrol bureau patrolled primarily state parks, state lands, state trails, wildlife management areas (WMAs), rivers, coastline and both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Officers utilized traditional patrol cars, 4x4 sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, ATVs, boats, airboats, personal watercraft (PWC's), dirt-bikes, and bicycles. The headquarters occupied the fifth floor of the DEP main offices in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas building in Tallahassee, Florida.[ citation needed ] Officers of the patrol bureau were fully constituted law enforcement officers of the state and possessed statewide authority. Although dedicated primarily to the protection and conservation of state lands, parks, properties and bodies of water, officers took law enforcement action statewide.[ citation needed ]
On July 1, 2012, the Bureau, which by that time had been renamed the Bureau of Park Police, was merged into the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the sworn officers, as well as reserve officers and support staff, were transferred to FWC. The Bureau of Emergency Response was not part of the merger and remained with DEP as the Office of Emergency Response.[ citation needed ]
In its responsibilities for the state's natural environment, the department divides its function into three areas: [6]
The Florida DEP office responsible for FDEP's overseeing of Everglades restoration—including the Everglades Forever Act and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan—is the Office of Ecosystem Projects. [8] In its largest wetland acquisition in a decade, in January 2020, the Florida governor announced the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would purchase 20,000 acres of Everglades wetlands, ultimately with the intent of preventing oil drilling on that land. [9]
A 1998 presidential executive order created the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. In 2002, Florida determined how to implement this at the state and county levels. [4] : 7 After a meeting in 2002, the FDEP and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission formed a team of interagency marine resource professionals of all levels of US government, of scientists and other stakeholders. From May to November 2003, the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative Team (SEFCRI Team) developed a local action strategy. In 2009, the FDEP's Coral Reef Conservation Program prepared a climate change action plan for the Florida Reef System 2010–2015, which was in sync with the federal NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program Goals & Objectives 2010-2015. [7]
After Governor Scott took office in 2011, DEP employees were informed by regional administrators not to use the terms climate change, global warming or sustainability in publications or educational materials, because the DEP was the governor's agency. [5] The Florida Oceans and Coastal Council's Annual Research Plan 2014-15 avoided the term climate change and used 'climate drivers' and 'climate-driven changes' instead. Some critical employees were terminated or gave their notice during that time. Until 2015, the term sea-level rise was not permitted and had to be replaced with the term nuisance flooding. [5]
 | This section needs to be updated.(March 2024) |
Per the department's the Office of Inspector General annual report from fiscal year 2011–2012, the DEP had more than 4,176 employees. [10]
Florida Governor Rick Scott recommended to decrease DEP's FY 2015-16 budget by about $29 million to $1,535,984,614 compared to actual (not the Governor recommended) FY 2014-15 budget. His plan funded 2,939.5 positions, which is 155 positions less than the prior year. [11]
| Governor's recommendations Fiscal Year | Budget | Positions | Difference to prior year ($) | Difference in employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | $1,460,214,322 | 3,450 | – | – |
| 2012–2013 | $1,313,686,038 | 3,364 | -146,528,284 | -86 |
| 2013–2014 | $1,204,456,007 | 3,115 | -198,253,717 | -116 |
| 2014–2015 | $1,410,924,838 | 3,063 | 111,807,605 | +54.5 |
| 2015–2016 | $1,535,984,614 | 2,939 | -28,706,934 | -155 |
| Name | Years in office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Bass Wetherell | 1991-1998 | Lawton Chiles |
| David B. Struhs [12] [13] | 1999-2004 | Jeb Bush |
| Colleen M. Castille | 2004–2006 (Interim) | Jeb Bush |
| Mike Sole | 2006-2010 | Charlie Crist |
| Mimi Drew | 2010 (Interim) | Charlie Crist |
| Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. | 2011-2014 | Rick Scott |
| Jon Steverson [14] | 2014-2017 | Rick Scott |
| Noah Valenstein | 2017-2021 | Rick Scott |
| Shawn Hamilton | 2021-present | Ron DeSantis |
As of 2006, the department divided itself into the following 13 offices based on function, all operating primarily out of Tallahassee:
Administrative Services, Air resource management, Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas, General counsel, Greenways and Trails, Law Enforcement, Office of the Secretary, Parks and Recreation, Resource Assessment Management, Siting, State Lands, Waste management, Water resource management.[ citation needed ]
The FDEP divides the state into six districts with the following six district offices: Central District (Orlando), Northeast District (Jacksonville), Northwest District (Pensacola), South District (Fort Myers), Southeast District (West Palm Beach) and Southwest District (Tampa).[ citation needed ]
The Everglades is a natural region of flooded grasslands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state. The Everglades experiences a wide range of weather patterns, from frequent flooding in the wet season to drought in the dry season. Throughout the 20th century, the Everglades suffered significant loss of habitat and environmental degradation.
The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a 145,188-acre (587.55 km2) wildlife sanctuary is located west of Boynton Beach, in Palm Beach County, Florida. It is also known as Water Conservation Area 1 (WCA-1). It includes the most northern remnant of the historic Everglades wetland ecosystem.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution. NJDEP now has a staff of approximately 2,850.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection of New York's natural resources; manages Forest Preserve lands in the Adirondack and Catskill parks, state forest lands, and wildlife management areas; regulates sport fishing, hunting and trapping; and enforces the state's environmental laws and regulations. Its regulations are compiled in Title 6 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. It was founded in 1970, replacing the Conservation Department, and is headed by Basil Seggos.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), established in 1995, is the agency in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 124 state parks and 20 state forests; providing information on the state's natural resources; and working with communities to benefit local recreation and natural areas. The agency has its headquarters in the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is an executive-department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, responsible for the ecological and environmental affairs. It is the 15th-ranked department in the State Council.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police, also known as DEP Police, and formerly known as the Bureau of Water Supply Police and the Aqueduct Police, is a law enforcement agency in New York City whose duties are to protect and preserve the New York City water supply system maintained by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the nation's largest single source water supply. The department has protected and preserved the water supply system for over 100 years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and preserving the land, air, water, and public health through enforcement of the state's environmental laws. It was created by Act 18 of 1995, which split the Department of Environmental Resources into the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Its current secretary is Jess Shirley.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers are managers, researchers, and support personnel, and perform law enforcement in the course of their duties.
The environment of Florida in the United States yields an array of land and marine life in a mild subtropical climate. This environment has drawn millions of people to settle in the once rural state over the last hundred years. Florida's population increases by about 1,000 residents each day. Land development and water use have transformed the state, primarily through drainage and infill of the wetlands that once covered most of the peninsula.
The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) is a state cabinet-level agency within the government of California. The mission of CalEPA is to restore, protect and enhance the environment, to ensure public health, environmental quality and economic vitality.
A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician/technologist, game warden, park ranger, forest watcher, forest guard, forester, gamekeeper, investigator, wildernessofficer, wildlifeofficer, or wildlife trooper.
An ongoing effort to remedy damage inflicted during the 20th century on the Everglades, a region of tropical wetlands in southern Florida, is the most expensive and comprehensive environmental repair attempt in history. The degradation of the Everglades became an issue in the United States in the early 1970s after a proposal to construct an airport in the Big Cypress Swamp. Studies indicated the airport would have destroyed the ecosystem in South Florida and Everglades National Park. After decades of destructive practices, both state and federal agencies are looking for ways to balance the needs of the natural environment in South Florida with urban and agricultural centers that have recently and rapidly grown in and near the Everglades.
Mangrove ecosystems represent natural capital capable of producing a wide range of goods and services for coastal environments and communities and society as a whole. Some of these outputs, such as timber, are freely exchanged in formal markets. Value is determined in these markets through exchange and quantified in terms of price. Mangroves are important for aquatic life and home for many species of fish.
The Everglades Forever Act is a Florida law passed in 1994 designed to restore the Everglades. The law recognized, the “Everglades ecological system is endangered as a result of adverse changes in water quality, and in the quantity, distribution and timing of flows, and, therefore, must be restored and protected.” The law was codified in § 373.4592, Florida Statutes. The law was amended twice in 2003.
Friends of the Everglades is a conservationist and activist organization in the United States whose mission is to "preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world." The book Biosphere 2000: Protecting Our Global Environment refers to Friends of the Everglades as an organization that has fought to preserve North America's only subtropical wetland.
Florida has two Level I and three Level II/III ecoregions containing more than 80 distinct ecosystems. From the northwestern panhandle to the Everglades, differences in hydrology, climate, landforms, soil types, flora, and fauna shape each ecosystem, creating a complex landscape that has been recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot.
from 2011 to 2012 as Special Counsel on Policy and Legislative Affairs and acting Deputy Secretary for Water Policy and Ecosystem Restoration. Jon also served in the Executive Office of the Governor from 2005 to 2009 in multiple roles including Environmental Policy Coordinator.
| International | |
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| National | |
