Florida commits more than $30 million to restore Biscayne Bay and coral reefs

Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state will give over $30 million to help improve the water quality in Biscayne Bay and speed up long-term coral reef restoration work in South Florida. The money includes $20 million for programs that will make Biscayne Bay healthier and $9.5 million for rehabilitating Florida’s coral reef system.

The Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Grant Program will give money to eight projects in Biscayne Bay. The main goal of these projects is to cut down on the amount of hazardous nutrients that get into the bay. They will do this by upgrading wastewater systems, converting septic systems to sewer systems, managing stormwater, and making other improvements to infrastructure. State officials say that as communities around the bay grow, these initiatives will help keep it safe.

Biscayne Bay is Florida’s biggest estuary. It is home to many plants and animals and helps the economy in the area. The state has spent $90 million on specific water quality projects in the bay since 2019. In 2021, DeSantis signed a law that sped up cleanup efforts and set up the Biscayne Bay Commission, which makes restoration decisions based on scientific data.

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The state also gave $9.5 million to 11 projects as part of Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery Initiative, in addition to the bay projects. The main goals of these programs are to increase coral growth on land, improve restoration capacity, and make the data systems needed to keep track of reef recovery better. The coral reef in Florida is the only live barrier reef in the continental United States. It is always under danger from pollution, climate change, and disease.

An executive order officially started the coral reef effort in January 2023. The goal is to establish the infrastructure, workforce, and technology needed to help the reef recover by 2050. State environmental authorities believe that the new money is another step toward safeguarding coastal habitats that are important to Florida’s environment, tourism sector, and way of life.

The investments are part of the state’s larger commitment to conserve water resources. In the past few years, more than $3.5 billion has been given to more than 1,000 water-related projects around the state.