Florida Trustees Seek Public Comment on Draft Restoration Plan

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A sea turtle in the Gulf of Mexico. Image: Florida FWC

The Florida Trustee Implementation Group has released its Draft Restoration Plan 2 and Environmental Assessment (PDF, 452 pages). The draft plan is consistent with the Trustees’ Programmatic Restoration Plan and proposes projects for restoring natural resources and services injured or lost in Florida as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We will accept public comment through March 29, 2021. We will conduct a virtual public meeting on March 11, 2021.

Preferred Project Alternatives

The suite of 19 restoration projects proposed in this draft plan includes projects that address the restoration types listed below. The projects, if approved, will be funded by each respective restoration type:

  • Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands (four proposed projects)
  • Sea Turtles (three proposed projects)
  • Marine Mammals (one proposed project)
  • Birds (four proposed projects)
  • Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities (seven proposed projects)

One project addresses both the Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands and the Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities restoration types, but is only counted under the Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands restoration type above. If approved, it would be funded by both restoration types. The approximate cost to implement all the proposed projects is $62,200,000.

Fact sheets for all of the preferred and non-preferred projects are below.

Public Comment and Virtual Meeting

The public is encouraged to review and comment on the draft plan through March 29, 2021 by submitting comments online, by mail, or during the virtual public meeting.

We will hold a virtual public meeting on Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 5:00pm Eastern Time. We will present the draft plan and take comments during the meeting.

Plan Document

Fact Sheets

Note: These fact sheets include preferred and non-preferred projects listed in the draft restoration plan.

Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands

Sea Turtles

Marine Mammals

Birds

Recreational Opportunities

Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands and Recreational Opportunities