![]() An important part of planning for the future of these resources is maintaining a clear perspective on how they are changing. (+) The Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP) has completed the Florida Assessment of Coastal Trends (FACT) 2010 report with the help of its coastal partners. Information about Florida’s Atlantic Coast and Southwest Florida was added to the website in May 2012. The guide also provides directions, a list of amenities at each access point and a list of state parks, paddling trails, points of interest and a county overview. ![]() The Online Beach Access Guide now includes public beach access points in coastal counties throughout the state. This phase includes data for the Panhandle region, encompassing 13 Gulf Coast counties spanning from Escambia to Citrus. (+) The first phase of Florida's online Beach Access Guide was launched in February 2012. Surveys on 250 miles of selected Florida beaches - called index beaches - found more than 58,000 loggerhead nests, for example, just below the high of 59,918 in 1998. Overall, the 2012 nesting season was the second-highest statewide since scientists began counting nests in 1989. ![]() (+) Good news for sea turtles finally emerged in 2012 when leatherbacks, loggerheads and greens emerged from the Atlantic to deposit their eggs on Florida shores, often in record numbers. Among the plan’s 110 resolutions are efforts to improve local flood maps and identify “adaptation action areas” - spots most vulnerable to sea-level rise - so as to tailor building codes and other ordinances accordingly. All four counties, which are as different politically as Miami Beach and Palm Beach are culturally, have approved the group’s plan, titled the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Action Plan. (+) Several years ago, the leaders of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties formed the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact to share strategies, make joint plans and speak with a more unified voice to the state legislature. Each short video (5 to 7 minutes) showcases various aspects concerning sea level rise and includes interviews with scientists, engineers, politicians, conservation directors, educators, authors and activists. (+) Ahead of the Tide is an independent movement that launched a 10-part video series in February 2016 highlighting the effects of sea level rise and climate change through the stories and voices of local Floridians. Moving into the future, the Plan will act as a guide to measure progress toward addressing the marine debris problem in Florida. It is the result of multiple years of collaboration between stakeholders including federal and state agencies, local governments, non-governmental organizations, universities, and industry. (+) The Florida Marine Debris Reduction Guidance Plan is a compilation of recommended strategies and actions toward reducing the impacts and amount of marine debris in Florida. Like many other coastal states, Florida is struggling with how to maintain sandy beaches in areas with high density development along an eroding, hurricane-prone coastline. Some locations need parking nearby to be able to utilize existing access. ![]() The state should develop a long-term plan to increase and maintain the number of coastal access locations to improve upon the existing average of one access site per 5 miles of shoreline. The amount of water quality information available to the public is generally good (although federal and state budget cuts have decreased the number of beaches that are tested) and the state's website provides a wide variety of information on other beach health indicators. Despite the popularity of surfing in Florida, there is relatively little readily available information on surfing areas and little recognition by the state of surfing as an important activity. ![]()
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