News - Sarasota.WaterAtlas.org

Aquifer levels remain at a ‘deficit,’ despite recent rains in Central Florida

WaterAtlas.org — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Drought conditions persist in Central Florida, despite recent summer rains.

Not enough rain has fallen to compensate for the existing “deficit” in the underground aquifer system that provides most of the state’s drinking water, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District. An “extreme” water shortage declared by the district in May remains effective, requiring all water consumers — residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural — to take steps to conserve the critical natural resource.

Diving into the data

In Marion County specifically, total annual rainfall is nearly two feet short of where it should be by this time of year.

“When you're that short on rainfall, it takes more than just a few afternoon thunderstorms … to be able to start to refill the aquifer,” said Clay Coarsey, the district’s director of water supply planning and assessment.

For July, total rainfall across the district fell about 1.5 inches short of the monthly average. District-wide, total annual rainfall is sitting more than nine inches below average levels, based on precipitation data from August 2025 through last month.

In Central Florida’s coastal areas, rainfall totals are looking a bit better. Within the district’s 18-county coverage area, only Brevard and Volusia saw monthly rain totals improve in July.

But more precipitation is necessary inland, Coarsey said, where sandy soils allow rain to seep more easily through the ground and into the aquifer system lying thousands of feet below the Earth. “We need that rainfall inland, because that's really the area where we're getting our aquifer recharge.”

Warm seasonal temperatures are also fueling drought conditions. “We have a lot of plants that are growing, a lot of turf that's growing. And a lot of that rainfall is ending up as either evaporation or transpiration that the plants are using,” Coarsey said.

Transpiration is the process of plants taking up water from the soil, then releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves. Separately, about 90% of moisture in the atmosphere comes from water evaporating from ocean, lakes and rivers, according to the United States Geological Survey.

As climate change drives up global temperatures, more water is evaporating into the atmosphere, according to climate scientists — leaving soils and surface water bodies more dry.

How can any one person help?

By conserving water, all Central Floridians can play an important role in helping ease drought conditions, Coarsey said.

Residents of areas covered by the ongoing extreme water shortage should only be watering their lawns one day a week, between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. More details on the district’s watering restrictions are available here.

Another key step is to make sure your irrigation system’s required rain sensor is working. “With the rain that's been coming through, you'll be wasting money and our water resources if you're irrigating shortly after we have a rain event,” Coarsey said.

Sometimes, public irrigation systems using reclaimed water — treated, recycled stormwater and wastewater — will still run during or shortly after it rains. That’s because the utilities using that reclaimed water only have so much storage capacity for it.

“We're trying to be as efficient as we can with all water,” Coarsey said. “But sometimes, just due to operational constraints, we're not as quite as efficient with reclaimed (water) as we'd like to be.”

Where, exactly, is an extreme water shortage in effect?

In Central Florida, all of Flagler, Lake, Marion, Polk and Sumter counties are in an extreme water shortage, as declared by St. Johns and the Southwest Water Management District. Other parts of the region covered by St. Johns may be required to follow other, locally-set water conservation rules.

Beyond the Central Florida region, areas in an extreme water shortage also include:

In the St. Johns district: Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties, plus parts of Alachua County.
In the Southwest Florida district: All of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties; portions of Charlotte and Highlands counties; and Gasparilla Island in Charlotte County.

Southwest Florida Water Management District to Hold Virtual Public Workshop on Ranking Water Bodies

WaterAtlas.org — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is seeking public input to determine the priority of minimum flows and levels (MFLs) establishment for lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams and aquifers in the District as well as the establishment of water reservations. Legislation requires the District to review and, if necessary, revise this schedule each year.

The District will hold a virtual public workshop at noon on Thursday, Aug. 27. Members of the public can join the meeting via Microsoft Teams. To join the meeting, please click on this link to register https://bit.ly/3SqvGmr. Use of the Chrome browser is recommended for best compatibility with Teams.

To join the meeting by telephone only, dial (786) 749-6127 and when prompted enter the conference ID: 562 912 452#.

A minimum flow or level is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources or environment. A water reservation defines a quantity of water set aside from the water use permitting process for the protection of fish and wildlife or public health and safety. The District’s Governing Board establishes MFLs and reservations as part of achieving the balance between meeting water needs and sustaining Florida’s natural systems.

The adopted minimum flows and levels priority list and schedule for 2025 is available on the District’s website here. The draft 2026 list will be published on the site following the Governing Board’s Aug. 25 meeting and will be considered for approval at the Board’s October meeting.

Written comments on the draft priority list and schedule may be submitted to Gabe Herrick, Chief Environmental Scientist, at gabe.herrick@watermatters.org or to 2379 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL. 34604, no later than Sept. 7.

King Tide Season Is Here. What They Reveal About Florida's Flooding Future

WaterAtlas.org — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

South Florida's king tide season begins this week, giving residents and communities a predictable chance to see how high tides interact with streets, stormwater systems and other infrastructure.

King tides, also known as high-tide flooding, are amplified by sea levels rising globally combined with local conditions such as wind and changing coastlines. High-tide flooding already occurs multiple times a year in South Florida and is predicted to increase in frequency and severity as seas continue to rise.

The South Florida Water Management District expects six periods of elevated tides in 2026: Aug. 11–14, Sept. 8–15, Sept. 24–Oct. 15, Oct. 22–Nov. 12, Nov. 22–29 and Dec. 22–27. The highest predicted flooding days of the year could occur near the Oct. 27 full moon, although the amount of flooding will depend on conditions at the time, including rainfall, wind and local drainage.

“King tides are a predictable natural event, but they also provide a preview of the challenges Florida’s coastal communities may face during extreme weather events as seas continue to rise,” said Serena Hoermann, Ph.D., director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions and assistant research professor in the School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability. “They give communities an opportunity to plan for resilient infrastructure as these conditions become more frequent.”

Hoermann said there are four things Floridians should be aware of during king tides:

Where water collects

King tides can reveal flood vulnerabilities that may not be obvious under normal conditions. Residents can pay attention to where water collects along roads, near storm drains, in yards and in low-lying areas, as well as how long it remains, and how it affects everyday activities such as commuting, going to school and running errands.

Because king tide flooding involves repetitive contact with saltwater, its corrosive effects can damage roads, vehicles, landscaping and other property and infrastructure.

Those observations can help identify vulnerabilities and places where flooding could become more disruptive during heavier rainfall or tropical weather.

What happens when high tides meet heavy rain

An elevated tide can become more consequential when it coincides with heavy rainfall — more than 3 inches in a day — which can occur during tropical storms, hurricanes or even strong daily showers typical during the summer months. When water levels are already high, stormwater systems may have more difficulty moving additional water away from streets and neighborhoods, potentially leaving flooded areas underwater longer.

The same is true when winds push water toward the coast. Local wind conditions can make the difference between relatively minor water accumulation and more significant flooding.

How infrastructure responds

King tides highlight the importance of decisions made long before flooding occurs. Hoermann said communities should account for future flood risk when deciding where to build housing and roads, how to design stormwater systems and how to protect wetlands and other natural buffers. Building codes can also help ensure new development is designed with future conditions in mind.

That kind of long-term planning can be difficult to visualize, particularly when future conditions may look very different from what residents see today.

The cost of flooding

A single flooding event may cost less than a typical insurance deductible, but repeated events add up. Hoermann said the cumulative costs can include lost business for shops, reduced mobility for seniors, delays for first responders and health risks from standing water. Planning for higher water now, she said, is generally less costly than retrofitting neighborhoods or addressing damage after chronic flooding sets in. In the meantime, Hoermann said residents can help by maintaining green space that gives water somewhere to drain, checking city and county websites for information on local flooding, and supporting development and building codes that account for future flood risk.

For more information, contact Brittany Wise at 850-323-0353 or Wiseb@fau.edu.

Invisible hitchhikers: how ‘forever chemicals’ travel in water

WaterAtlas.org — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Grab a cup and scoop up water from Lake Michigan or one of the rivers that feed it. Then hold the water sample up and you’ll see tiny bits of floating particles, including bits of clay, algae and other organic matter that make the water appear cloudy.

These microscopic particles may hold important clues to understanding how a large family of human-made chemicals – called PFAS, or “forever chemicals” – move through one of the region’s most valuable natural resources, said Yin Wang, associate professor, civil & environmental engineering.

The research team of Wang; Shangping Xu, associate professor, geosciences; and Patrick Gorski, a scientist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; will look at the question in a new study funded with a $259,500 grant from Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Scientists have spent years studying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which persist in the environment and are linked to adverse human health effects. They know the compounds can cling to soil, Wang said, but what isn’t known is whether PFAS chemicals also hitchhike on the countless suspended particles in lakes and rivers.

Attached vs. dissolved

“If PFAS are attached to these particles, they may behave very differently than if they are simply dissolved in the water,” Wang said. Understanding those differences could help researchers identify how PFAS enter the lake and where they are most likely to accumulate.

With water samples collected from the lake and several of its largest tributaries, Wang and Xu will separate the suspended particles and the water and measure the amount of PFAS in each. The results should reveal how much of the contamination is traveling with particles and how much remains dissolved.

The team believes that many PFAS compounds do attach to suspended particles, but not all in the same way, Xu said. The researchers also hypothesize that the chemical structure of different PFAS compounds influences if or how tightly they stick to floating solids.

What rivers can reveal

Comparing samples from Lake Michigan with those taken in tributaries may offer additional insights. Rivers often carry more suspended particles than the open lake, where the much larger volume of water dilutes them. Wind, waves and weather can influence where the particles go, and fish and other aquatic organisms may encounter particle-bound PFAS differently than the dissolved chemicals.

Looking at both data sets, “may allow us to determine how tributary-derived PFAS are redistributed and modified within the lake,” said Xu, whose research focuses on emerging contaminants in the environment, and the development of novel removal technologies.

Today’s environmental models often overlook the distinctions because the necessary data doesn’t exist, Wang added. He hopes this research will fill the gap, providing new information that could improve cleanup strategies.

Wang and Xu previously worked together on a Sea Grant project that investigated how PFAS compounds accumulate and move in groundwater. The pair also hold a patent on a next-generation filtration material specifically designed to target low concentrations of PFAS.

Drought Extremes are Intensifying More Rapidly Than in the Past

WaterAtlas.org — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Droughts are becoming an increasing global concern as their impacts intensify. Understanding how climate change affects drought frequency and severity is essential for projecting future drought risk. In this context, the question raised by Helpap et al. [2026]—”are modern droughts unprecedented?”—has a high scientific relevance. Here, 20 ensemble members from a 600-year climate simulation and reanalysis data from the period 1950-2024 are analyzed to place recent droughts in a multi-century context. It is concluded that drought extremes are intensifying more rapidly beyond the range experienced in the past than moderate droughts. Therefore, an increasing likelihood of droughts reaching unprecedented magnitudes is expected in the near future, thus highlighting the urgency for adaptation measures in water resources and environmental management.

Citation: Helpap, P., Brönnimann, S., Hand, R., Franke, J., Raible, C. C., & Stocker, B. D. (2026). Are modern droughts unprecedented? AGU Advances, 7, e2026AV002536. https://doi.org/10.1029/2026AV002536

FEMA Announces $600M for Flood Mitigation Projects

WaterAtlas.org — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

FEMA has announced $600 million in fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding through its Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Swift Current program. The program provides accelerated post-disaster funding for projects that reduce repetitive flood damage to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)-insured properties following qualifying flood disasters or major disaster declarations between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2027. Up to $40 million per disaster is available.

Key objectives include:

Increase community flood resilience and reduce future flood losses
Accelerate mitigation funding so projects can be implemented shortly after flood events rather than waiting for traditional annual grant cycles
Reduce future claims and financial exposure to the NFIP

States, territories, and Tribes apply on behalf of local communities. Application deadlines are established after a disaster declaration, typically 60-180 days after the disaster declaration. Download the Funding Bulletin to learn more.

Rose Park Living Shoreline

WaterAtlas.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Rose Park Living Shoreline Project is a two-phase initiative to restore and enhance the shoreline of Rose Park, a small public park owned and managed by Manatee County along the eastern edge of Palma Sola Bay. The project will transform a hardened shoreline into a resilient, nature-based coastal system that improves water quality, restores habitat, and protects the bay from storm impacts.

This initiative is led by the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) and made possible by partnerships with Manatee County and Cummins Cederberg Coastal & Marine Engineering.

Rose Park aerial. Courtesy Cummins Cederberg - Coastal & Marine Engineering

Project Features

The Rose Park project will retrofit a hardened shoreline into a living shoreline. This nature-based approach softens and stabilizes shorelines while supporting coastal ecosystems. Instead of traditional hard structures, living shorelines use natural materials and native habitats to:

Restore intertidal and nearshore habitats
Improve estuarine, shellfish, and fisheries habitat
Filter stormwater runoff before it enters the bay
Reduce erosion and increase resilience to sea level rise
Enhance public access to environmental education

Over 80% of Sarasota Bay is lined with hardened shorelines. Therefore, living shoreline projects are highly valuable and essential, underscoring this project as an important investment in the long-term health of the bay.

Project Phases

Phase I (FY25): Design & Permitting (Ongoing in 2026): Phase I focuses on preparing the site for construction by completing engineering and environmental design, coordination with stakeholders, and permit acquisition.
Phase II (FY26): Construction (Start Date Pending): Phase II will implement the design and complete construction of the living shoreline, stormwater retrofit improvements, improved vegetation, and educational signage.

Learn More

To learn more about the Rose Park Living Shoreline project, please email info@sarasotabay.org.

Mangroves and Coastal Resilience: A Sarasota Bay Fact Sheet

WaterAtlas.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Sarasota Bay’s Mangroves: A Critical Natural Asset

Sarasota Bay has lost most of its coastal wetlands to dredge and fill operations and coastal development. Coastal development has installed over 200 miles of hardened shoreline in place of mangrove and wetlands. The remaining wetlands and mature mangrove forests in Sarasota Bay are essential to the functioning of our bay ecosystem. Additionally, the natural resources within the area play a key role in the popularity and growth of the region.

Wetlands and mangrove forests are some of the most productive and important habitats for the preservation of water quality and wildlife that support our working waterfronts, fisheries, and our tourism-based economy. They also protect our communities by preventing erosion and reducing flood risk from storms. Our remaining wetlands and mangroves are rapidly being impacted by the hardening of infrastructure in the uplands that alter the natural flow and timing of fresh water moving from the landward side through the wetlands, which provide water filtration, and channelizing it into an unnatural rush of freshwater that bypasses wetlands through stormwater pipes.

Studies show that bay health depends on the quantity, quality, and timing of freshwater inputs (Olsen et al., 2006). From the seaward side, mangroves are drowned due to higher water levels. Without access to fresh water and space to migrate upslope and inland, Sarasota Bay's mangroves will become trapped or ‘squeezed out’ between higher coastal water levels and hardened shorelines. Protecting both existing mangrove forests and adjacent uplands is essential to maintaining water quality, fisheries habitat, wildlife populations, and natural storm protection for future generations. [myfwc.com], [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov], [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov]

Valuing the Flood Risk Reduction Benefits of Florida’s Mangroves, from articles and reports published by UC Santa Cruz, RMS, and The Nature Conservancy

Sarasota Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan, Land Use Change by Acres and Percent for Sarasota Bay Proper Watershed Source: Jones Edmunds and ESA, 2025a; SWFWMD.

Infographics Credits:

Valuing the Flood Risk Reduction Benefits of Florida’s Mangroves, from articles and reports published by UC Santa Cruz, RMS, and The Nature Conservancy
Sarasota Bay Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan, Land Use Change by Acres and Percent for Sarasota Bay Proper Watershed Source: Jones Edmunds and ESA, 2025a; SWFWMD.
Coastal Change Analysis Program, Regional Land Cover 1996 to 2016, Source: NOAA Office for Coastal Management.
NOAA Fisheries Economics is an annual report that highlights the contributions of U.S. marine fisheries to our national economy.

Mangrove Facts: Local Loss & Stewardship:

Loss of mangroves ultimately transfers costs to residents and local governments through greater flood damages, increased shoreline stabilization expenses, reduced fisheries productivity, degraded water quality, and diminished recreational and tourism value. Florida studies have shown that mangroves provide billions of dollars in ecosystem services and storm protection benefits annually. [floridadep.gov], [nature.org], [news.ucsc.edu]

As Sarasota and Manatee Counties continue to experience population growth, increased coastal flooding, and stronger storms, preserving undeveloped uplands adjacent to mangroves where they can migrate and thrive will become increasingly important for sustaining the natural resilience of Sarasota Bay. [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov], [everglades...espace.com]

Tidal wetlands and mangroves are part of the ‘coastal corridor’ connecting the uplands to the bay. Hardened shorelines disconnect Sarasota Bay from adjacent wetlands and uplands, reducing the natural transition zones needed for mangrove expansion, wildlife habitat, and floodwater storage. [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov], [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov], [Florida's Coastal Corridor - Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida]

Mangrove and wetland shorelines in Sarasota Bay have been replaced with over 220 miles of hardened shorelines [sarasotabay.org] that have eliminated critical nursery habitat for juvenile fish, shrimp, crabs, and other organisms that support Sarasota Bay's recreational and commercial fisheries. [myfwc.com], [sarasotabay.org]

The loss of mangrove habitat reduces populations of wading birds, shorebirds, and other wildlife that depend on mangrove islands and shorelines for nesting, roosting, and feeding. [sarasotabay.org], [floridadep.gov]

Shoreline hardening removes natural filtration functions that help trap sediments, absorb nutrients, and remove pollutants before they reach Sarasota Bay, potentially contributing to reduced water clarity and increased risk of harmful algal blooms. [myfwc.com], [sarasotabay.org]

When natural mangrove shorelines are trimmed excessively or replaced with hardened structures, communities lose a cost-effective form of natural infrastructure that reduces erosion, storm surge impacts, and coastal flooding. Additionally, excessively trimmed mangroves lose productivity, longevity, and habitat value. When these habitats are healthy, they provide flood protection benefits to our communities and will help us recover more quickly after storms. [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov], [coastalsci...e.noaa.gov]

Hydrologic alterations associated with roads, berms, drainage projects, and urban development can restrict tidal exchange and water movement, increasing the risk of long-term mangrove stress and mortality ("mangrove heart attacks"). [sccf.org], [chnep.wate...as.usf.edu]

Mangrove forests are a crucial habitat for most fish species at various stages in their life cycle, in addition to providing shelter and nesting sites for waterfowl. Protection and restoration of mangrove forests and tidal wetlands meet Natural Systems Protection and Restoration objectives in the Southwest Water Management District Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) Plan: Identify opportunities for habitat restoration projects that increase ecosystem resiliency across the waterbody.

Over 31 percent of Florida is wetlands. Ninety percent of those wetlands are freshwater (over 18,500 square miles); only 10 percent are saltwater marshes and mangroves (approximately 2,000 square miles). NOAA’s land cover program, which uses satellite imagery to document coastal land cover changes, noted a 19% increase in development in Florida from 1996-2016, resulting in an approximate 12% net loss of tidal wetland habitat.

Over 31 percent of Florida is wetlands. Ninety percent of those wetlands are freshwater (over 18,500 square miles); only 10 percent are saltwater marshes and mangroves (approximately 2,000 square miles). NOAA’s land cover program, which uses satellite imagery to document coastal land cover changes, noted a 19% increase in development in Florida from 1996-2016, resulting in an approximate 12% net loss of tidal wetland habitat.

Wetland habitats support a diversity of fish and wildlife that drive the economies of our coastal communities. Recreational fishing is an industry that creates an enormous economic impact in Florida each year. In 2025, the Florida recreational fishing industry supported 120,000 jobs and generated $9.2 billion in total sales (FFWC, 2025)

The partnership of counties, municipalities, and agencies that comprise the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program has identified the protection, enhancement, and restoration of coastal wetlands and improved shoreline resiliency as a priority in our collective Management Plan. This plan is a science-based, community-driven strategic blueprint to advance progress in protecting and restoring the water quality and ecological integrity of Sarasota Bay to the benefit of our communities and economies. [SBEP-CCMP-2022-Update.pdf]

Red Tide Status Update: August 7, 2026

WaterAtlas.org — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Red Tide was observed at background to low concentrations in 13 samples from Florida’s East Coast, and background concentrations in seven samples along Florida’s Gulf Coast. We continue to use satellite imagery (USF and NOAA NCCOS) to help track nearshore and offshore conditions.

Additional details follow.

In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations offshore of Hillsborough County, and in Manatee, Charlotte, and Collier counties.
In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in Wakulla County.
Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis observed at background to low concentrations in Nassau County and background to very low concentrations in Duval County.

No Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC's Fish Kill Hotline or other partners over the past week.

Respiratory Irritation suspected to be related to red tide was not reported over the past week in Florida. For forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf Coast Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast.

Short-term (3.5 day) forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides predict northwestern movement of surface waters in most areas and variable transport of subsurface waters from Pinellas to northern Monroe counties.

The next status report will be issued on Friday, August 14. Please check our daily sampling map, which can be accessed via the online status report on our Red Tide Current Status page. For more information on algal blooms and water quality, please visit Protecting Florida Together.

This information, including maps and reports with additional details, is also available on the FWRI Red Tide website. The website also provides links to additional information related to the topic of Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting areas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Florida Poison Information Center (to report human health effects related to exposure to red tide), and other wildlife related hotlines.

To learn more about various organisms that have been known to cause algal blooms in Florida waters, see the FWRI Red Tide Flickr page. Archived status maps can also be found on Flickr.

Please follow our facebook page for status updates and other interesting facts about red tide and other harmful algal blooms in Florida.

A majority of Florida waterways are polluted. But environmental enforcement is lacking

WaterAtlas.org — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A majority of Florida waterways are failing water quality standards, even as the state’s pollution enforcement remains near historic lows, according to a new report.

The report was published by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, and Waterkeepers Florida, a coalition that is part of the international Waterkeeper Alliance. It is based on 37 years of environmental enforcement data, plus data from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s latest statewide, comprehensive water quality analysis.

Data takeaways

Of more than 4,200 water bodies assessed by FDEP, just over 52% are not meeting water quality standards, according to the state’s comprehensive analysis released earlier this year. For another 15% of assessed water bodies, there isn’t enough data to determine whether or not standards are being met.

In Central Florida, some water bodies failing to meet water quality standards include Lake Jesup (impaired by nutrients), portions of Lake Apopka (impaired by nutrients, plus pesticides found in fish tissue) and parts of the Econlockhatchee River (impaired by e-coli and nutrients), according to FDEP.

Statewide, most water body impairments are driven by high concentrations of nutrients and fecal bacteria, as well as low levels of dissolved oxygen, according to FDEP.

PEER’s analysis of state enforcement data reveals that “a steady decline” in enforcement actions began once former Governor Rick Scott took office in 2011.

The report states that “the Scott administration favored development interests at the expense of environmental protections.”

Between 1988 and 1995, FDEP took action to enforce protective environmental laws in an average 1,048 cases per year. That number plummeted to 431 cases a year, on average, between 2011 and 2018, Scott’s last full year in office.

When Governor Ron DeSantis took over in 2019, he was more publicly supportive of protective environmental programs than Scott had been, according to the PEER report. In DeSantis’ first year in office, the number of environmental enforcement actions temporarily rose, from 371 actions taken in 2018 to 742 in 2020.

After 2020, though, FDEP enforcement actions declined again. They’ve since ticked back up slightly, rising from 579 actions taken in 2023 to 755 in 2025.

Still, “enforcement actions initiated under Governor DeSantis are still less than half of what they were in 2010,” according to the report.

Florida’s pollution protections ‘don’t go far enough’

Lisa Rinaman is the riverkeeper, or chief advocate, at St. Johns Riverkeeper, one of 15 member groups making up Waterkeepers Florida. Rinaman said the findings in the report co-published with PEER are a “significant concern.”

“It's alarming for a state like Florida, where everything depends on clean water, from an economic perspective,” Rinaman said. “Our tourism, our growth; just our quality of life, agriculture.”

Although state rules and protections enacted to reduce nutrient pollution in water bodies like the St. Johns River have worked “to some degree,” Rinaman said, they don’t go far enough — especially because enforcement is lacking.

“This [report] just demonstrates that, those protections that have been in place, they're too lax. They don't go far enough,” Rinaman said. “And then, if you're not enforcing it to ensure that what the model is telling you is what's happening in reality …. then it's really not as good as the paper it's written on.”

Looking forward

The report by PEER and Waterkeepers Florida finds “a growing number of Florida’s water bodies, including estuaries and lakes, fail to meet water quality standards.” However, “the quality of coastal waters and streams has improved somewhat.”

Another piece of good news, Rinaman said, is a provision in Florida’s farm bill, approved by lawmakers earlier this year, that will outlaw the land application of Class B biosolids by 2028. Those Class B biosolids are made up of sewage sludge that’s been treated to reduce (not eliminate) pathogens and toxic chemicals.

However, DeSantis vetoed another bill that would have created protective regulations for Class AA biosolids, which is sewage sludge that’s been treated to a higher level than Class B biosolids.

“That's just going to continue to add to our nutrient pollution problems that we're seeing throughout the state of Florida,” Rinaman said.

After this story published, FDEP shared a statement which reads in part: "The Department disagrees with PEER's 2025 Florida Enforcement Report as it leaves out important context, overly focuses on historical metrics and ignores the significant strides Florida has made in restoring and protecting Florida's waterways."