Indicator Type	Information	Status
Beach Access	8	5
Water Quality	8	5
Beach Erosion	9	-
Erosion Response	-	5
Beach Fill	7	-
Shoreline Structures	5	4
Beach Ecology	4	-
Surfing Areas	5	6
Website	8	-
Coastal Development	{{{19}}}	{{{20}}}
Sea Level Rise	{{{21}}}	{{{22}}}

Websites

The Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP) is based on a network of agencies implementing 24 statutes that protect and enhance the state's natural, cultural and economic coastal resources. Additional information about the FCMP can be found here.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) FCMP Website is well organized and easy to use. However, it should be used in tandem with the overall FDEP Website and the other state network agency Websites to get a complete picture of coastal management activities, programs and responsibilities in Florida.

The Websites provide information on beach access, water quality, beach erosion, beach fill, and shoreline structures.

Laws and regulations concerning coastal management in Florida are available online at:

Rules of the Environmental Resource Permitting (ERP), Wetland Resource Permitting, and Submerged Lands Program are available online.

Several publications are available online via the FCMP Website, including the 150-page Florida Assessment of Coastal Trends (FACT) 2000 report. This document is a great source of information on beach health indicators in Florida. It describes and reports on a series of indicators, including biodiversity and natural areas, coastal access, coastal hazards, and community stewardship. It is filled with facts and figures that paint a picture of the state of the beach in Florida. This thorough, well-written document is a MUST READ, and may well serve as a national measurement model. Florida has now updated this information with a FACT 2010 report.

Other publications include:

Coastal Currents, the quarterly newsletter of the Florida Coastal Management Program
Building in Paradise, a brochure outlining some of the ways coastal construction differs from inland development and questions to ask when building and living on Florida's coasts
Purchasing Paradise, a companion brochure to Building in Paradise, provides information on how to wisely choose your coastal property in order to minimize the chances of personal injury and property damage, and suggestions on how to be a good environmental steward.

Access to maps and photos on the FCMP Website is limited, but the FDEP Florida Geological Survey Website has access to a wealth of maps, photos, publications, newsletters, and even videos.

Data such as historic shoreline boundaries, beach profiles, aerial photos, and GIS layers are available.

You can also go to the GIS program Website itself for mountains of data and metadata.

A related independent Website is the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission GIS and Mapping Website.

One of the highlights of the FCMP Website is its access to an extensive list of links, by issues, as well as to a range of state, regional, and national organizations. Some of the key links among these include:

The State Agency Partners and Coastal Links.
A good weather link and even a nonprofit organization link, although Surfrider Foundation and its several Florida chapters are not listed.

The FCMP Website appears to be up-to-date. The search function is useful. A search for "surfing" turned up 302 entries.

Another useful search function is through the Website at MyFlorida.com

Website Contact Info

Rosaline Beckham
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building
3900 Commonwealth Boulevard
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000
(850) 488-7815
Email: Rosaline.Beckham@dep.state.fl.us

State of the Beach Report: Florida