Science-Policy Connections

Policy and rules governing watersheds and bays are not always based on good science, and it often takes years for new science to lead to policy and rule changes. Scientific understanding is nuanced with uncertainty. Decision-makers are slow to change policy if science is contested and uncertain. In local bays and watersheds, there are examples of policy based on good science and difficult policy shifts that arose from new scientific understanding. There are also local examples of policy that lags behind good science and friction between coastal policy implementation and the special interests of groups of residents, land owners, and business interests.

In the best situations, scientists and science institutions act as trusted referees by presenting options and clarifying risks associated with those options. Sometimes scientists can have their own policy preferences and frame options and risk analyses that favor those preferences. At the same time, policymakers sometimes lack the political support or financial resources to implement science-based policy.

Over the past 40 years, improved wastewater treatment has yielded big improvements in bay quality and public health. The current challenge is improving stormwater infrastructure to meet community expectations. The Celery Field stormwater facility is a successful model. It takes passion to embark on a different approach to managing stormwater, and it will take patience to achieve results.

Projects to create and recreate living shorelines face regulatory and permitting obstacles. Some projects are experimental and the science documenting their ecological values is still developing. Meanwhile, living shoreline projects are subject to the same permitting costs as shoreline development projects. Instead there should be incentives for creating the types of living shorelines that have demonstrated habitat quality improvement. Permits should be streamlined, and incentives should be provided for private owners to replace seawalls with living shorelines (possibly property tax relief).

Laws protecting mangroves have been on the books since the 1970’s, but mangroves have not recovered. The ecological values and functions of mangroves are well-established, but a culture of mangrove trimming allowed by Florida Statutes continues to reduce those values and functions and thwart mangrove recovery. Local targets for mangrove recovery should be established, with incentives provided to seek alternatives to mangrove hedging and encourage mangrove recovery.

Roundtable Panel Discussion

Moderator:

• Scott Dennis, ABC 7 News

Panelists:

• Frank Alcock, New College of Florida
• Theresa Conner, Sarasota County Environmental Services
• Thomas Reis, Scheda Ecological
• Matt Osterhoudt, Sarasota County Natural Resources

• Translating Science to Policy: Theory vs Reality
• Success Stories Where Science and Policy Work
• Regulatory Obstacles to Common Sense Solutions
• Science-Policy Disconnect: Case Study of Mangroves
• Design, Permitting, and Incentives for Waterway Buffers, Living Shorelines, and Mangrove Management
• Science-Policy Disconnects, Unintended Consequences, and the Role of Citizens
• Collaborative Solutions to Watershed Management
• Growth Planning, Density, and Jurisdictional Control - Sarasota Bay and Palma Sola Bay Coastal High Hazard Areas
• Innovative decentralized strategies for stormwater management for Palma Sola
• Envisioning a healthy future for Palma Sola Bay – next steps
• Management and Restoration of Bird Island Rookeries and Beach Nesting Birds
• The Future of SWFWMD Policy
• Science, Community, and Political Will for Implementing New Technologies
• Homeowner Incentives for Urban Waterway Stewardship and Shoreline Restoration
• Urban Stormwater Master Planning
• Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning
• Developing outreach tools and targeting the message using social media and other approaches