As another year comes to a close, it is a good time to look back and reflect on some of the Department’s achievements, while looking forward to the challenges that 2009 will bring. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, preserving and managing the state’s natural resources, protecting the quality and quantity of our waters, continuing the goal of restoring the River of Grass and making certain that Floridians and visitors are provided ample outdoor recreational choices are some of the achievements, as well as some of the challenges. But with challenges come new ideas, and new ideas bring innovative solutions. The Department strives to continue to ensure that the state’s citizens and natural resources will be protected while preserving the quality of life that makes Florida such a great place to live, work and play.

Restoring the River of Grass
This year was both historic and momentous in the restoration of America’s Everglades. In June 2008, Governor Charlie Crist announced a landmark opportunity for Florida to acquire more than 180,000 acres of land in the Everglades Agricultural Area from the United States Sugar Corporation. This proposal was approved by the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) on December 16, after nearly six months of extensive negotiation, due diligence and public input. The transaction, which is subject to obtaining appropriate financing and U .S. Sugar’s concurrence with a revised contract condition, will allow the River of Grass to be “re-plumbed” in ways never before thought possible. As the single largest public land acquisition in Florida’s history, these vast tracts of land could provide the State not just an opportunity to restore the southern Everglades, but to protect the entire Everglades ecosystem.

In addition, Florida continued to make progress in its unwavering quest to restore the Everglades through its ongoing restoration initiatives, including the joint state-federal Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). To date, Florida has invested approximately $2.4 billion in CERP, acquiring more than 58 percent (224,489 acres) of land needed for restoration. Florida has also dedicated an additional $1.8 billion to improving water quality in the Everglades through initiatives like improved farming practices and the construction of 52,000 acres of stormwater treatment areas (STAs). To date, these practices combined with the STAs have prevented more than 2,848 metric tons of phosphorous from entering the Everglades. Florida remains committed to protecting the entire Everglades ecosystem, which stretches from the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes all the way south to Florida Bay. To better protect both the southern and northern reaches of the ecosystem, in 2007 the Florida Legislature passed the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program. As required by the law, which expanded the existing Lake Okeechobee Protection Act, a Technical Plan for Phase II of the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Construction Project was completed and ratified by the Legislature this year. In addition, the St. Lucie River and Caloosahatchee River Watershed Protection Plans will be submitted to the Legislature by January 1, 2009.

2008 Everglades accomplishments include:

• In the state’s 2008-2009 fiscal year, the tightest budget year the state has experienced since CERP was authorized, Governor Crist and the Florida Legislature allocated $50 million to the restoration of the South Florida ecosystem.
• This year, approximately 6,500 acres of land were fully converted into STAs, which are manmade treatment wetlands designed to clean the water entering the Everglades using “green” technology. During Water Year 2008, these STAs treated about 253 billion gallons of water, reducing phosphorous loads entering the Everglades by about 80 percent.
• Florida continued to experience success implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs), which are improved farming practices to provide additional phosphorous reductions in water flowing to the Everglades. During Water Year 2008, these BMPs achieved a 44 percent phosphorous reduction, equating to 73.3 metric tons of phosphorous prevented from entering the Everglades.
• Restoration continued to progress significantly for the Picayune Strand. Nearly all (54,310 acres or 99 percent) of the land needed for this project is in state ownership, and all of the project’s design plans have been completed. On December 2, the SFWMD Governing Board approved a draft Water Reservation rule, a first-of-its-kind rule that will set aside water to protect the Picayune Strand and Fakahatchee Estuary.
• The state of Florida took advantage of the drought conditions experienced in early 2008 to begin removing muck in Lake Okeechobee. By removing more than two million cubic yards of muck from approximately 2,000 acres of exposed shoreline, Florida was able to remove an estimated 237 metric tons of phosphorous from the Lake.

Restoring the St. Johns River
Under the leadership of Governor Crist, the lower St. Johns River is experiencing resurgence. In September 2008, the Lower St. Johns River Total Maximum Daily Load Executive Committee developed and approved a plan to restore and protect the St. Johns River. The restoration plan, formally named the Lower St. Johns Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP), was developed under the coordination of DEP in partnership with local industries, cities, counties, the SJRWMD, environmental groups and many other stakeholders. It is a comprehensive roadmap for restoring and protecting water quality in the St. Johns River.

Among the programs and projects identified in the BMAP are: wastewater treatment plant upgrades, redirecting wastewater discharges to beneficial reuse for irrigation and other purposes, stormwater retrofits, urban structural and nonstructural best management practices (BMPs) to reduce loading from stormwater runoff, agricultural BMPs, and environmental education.

These actions represent a commitment to invest more than $625 million in measures that will improve the conditions of the river such that it meets applicable water quality standards, decreases algal blooms and enhances the growth of native aquatic vegetation. This will result in a net reduction of more than 5.5 million pounds of total nitrogen in the fresh and marine portions of the river, and more than 200,000 pounds of total phosphorous in the freshwater portion of the river.

Reducing Florida’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions
To guarantee cleaner air for Florida's communities and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Environmental Regulation Commission’s (ERC) adopted the California Motor Vehicle Emissions Standards Rule earlier this month. The rule represents an important step in carrying out the Governor’s initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases.

Implementation of the rule plus adoption of the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) is expected to provide an additional two million metric ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2016 and 10 million metric tons by 2020; the equivalent of taking nearly 500,000 passenger vehicles off of the road per year through 2016, and then more than 1.1 million per year through 2020.

In addition, DEP implemented the Idling Reduction Rule. The idling reduction rule creates a five-minute limitation on idling for heavy-duty diesel vehicles weighing more than 8,500 pounds. These vehicles include commercial and government trucks, school buses, transit and excursion buses, all of which account for 16 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Florida’s transportation sector.

Showcasing the Real Florida
Florida is recognized for its 160 award-winning state parks and 80,000 acres of inspiring greenways and trails. Each year millions of visitors are drawn to these attractions and landscapes to view native wildlife, learn about Florida’s history and explore the natural surroundings.

2008 milestones include: Last fiscal year (July 2007 - June 2008), Florida’s state parks welcomed a record-setting 20.7 million visitors, a 6.2 percent increase from last year. Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin welcomed the most visitors, with more than one million individuals served. Based on the National Park Service’s Money Generation Model, these visitor numbers generated more than $1 billion for Florida’s economy last fiscal year. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park – The Department acquired the 27-acre Weeki Wachee Springs attraction making it the 160th state park managed by the Division of Recreation and Parks. The 61-year old landmark is one of 33 first-magnitude springs. It is famous for its “mermaids” who give three daily underwater performances as audiences watch from a 500-seat theatre embedded in the side of the spring, 16 feet below the surface. Caladesi Island State Park – The park’s beach was recognized as 2008’s number one beach in the nation by coastal geologist Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as “Dr. Beach.” Caladesi is one of the few completely natural islands along Florida’s Gulf Coast and is accessible only by boat and ferry. The park offers beach activities, hiking, kayaking and wildlife observation to its more than 230,000 annual visitors. Best Trails State – This year Florida was named the Best Trails State in the nation by American Trails. American Trails presents the National Trails Awards every two years to recognize the contributions of volunteers, professionals, agencies and other leaders who are working to create a national system of trails for all Americans. New this year, the Best Trails State award recognizes Florida for its vision, initiatives and management of its statewide trails system.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Rethink
To increase recycling throughout Florida, this summer Governor Crist signed the Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 into law which establishes a new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent to be achieved by 2020. Within the law DEP is directed to develop a program to achieve the goal and submit it to the Florida Legislature for consideration by January 1, 2010.

In 2006, Florida recycled about 24 percent of the municipal solid waste collected. By improving recycling habits Florida’s residents and businesses can protect the environment, preserve natural resources, and contribute to the economic well-being and security of our nation.

To increase awareness about the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and encourage people to be a part of creating a better natural environment, DEP’s Division of Waste Management:

• Hosted two public meetings attended by more than 270 people to receive input on innovative ways the state can recycle more.
• Set up an internet bulletin board system to serve as a discussion site for citizens, interest groups, local governments and the recycling industry to share ideas, research and experiences in increasing recycling and diverting more waste from landfills.
• Teamed with Recycle Florida Today, Creative Recycling Systems, Inc. and Publix Super Markets for the fifth consecutive year to sponsor the Florida (K-12) Schools Recycling Pledge Card Contest. The three schools that submit the most recycling pledge cards will be awarded with a refurbished computer. Last year, a DEP survey found that more than 86 percent of the 14,000 Floridians who took the pledge to recycle and buy more recycled products through this campaign were elementary, middle and high school students.

 

Green from the Ground Up DEP’s Office of Sustainable Initiatives is comprised of three voluntary, non-regulatory programs that assist Florida industry and citizens in protecting the environment. The Clean Marina Program, the Florida Green Lodging Program and the Florida Pollution Prevention Program offer a variety of services including on-site assessments, consultations, speakers and workshops, all at no cost to citizens or organizations.

2008 accomplishments include:

• In November, the Pollution Prevention Program provided hands-on training on “green” cleaning at the Clara White Mission. The Clara White Mission partners with businesses and local community organizations to reduce homelessness through advocacy, housing, job training and employment. The Mission created a Janitorial/Environmental Services Training Program to train people for work as housekeepers and janitors in the hospitality industry. During its inaugural course, the Mission invited DEP to enhance the program by providing information on “green” cleaning and “green cleaning kits” to the students. The kits contained microfiber cloths, environmentally friendly cleaning products and ingredients, and directions for creating chemical-free products.
  
• The Clean Marina Program currently has 187 Clean Marinas, 30 Clean Boatyards and seven Clean Marine Retailers. In addition, through the Clean Vessel Act more than 400 pumpout facilities have been installed.
• The Florida Green Lodging Program currently has 383 designated properties including 10 Two Palm and one Three Palm facilities, and more than 425 applicants in the process of being designated.

Dial #DEP to Report Environmental Crimes
In April, as part of the 7th annual National Environmental Crimes Prevention Week, DEP’s Division of Law Enforcement announced that cell phone customers in Florida can dial #DEP to report environmental crimes, including illegal dumping of hazardous materials, construction debris, oil drums and biological waste.

Other 2008 highlights include: The Division launched a new Web site for users to learn tips on recognizing and reporting environmental crimes and find emergency contact information – www.dep.state.fl.us/law. In November, the Division and Florida State Parks hosted a day-long training at Florida Caverns State Park for local public safety agencies and emergency responders. The event demonstrated appropriate techniques for medical and law enforcement responders in the event of an emergency in the park’s underground caverns. In April, the Division participated in a cooperative effort with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Coral Springs Police Department to pull vehicles from a county canal. The cars have an enormous environmental impact because of their toxicity. Sunken vehicles leak gasoline, motor oil, battery acid, transmission fluid, antifreeze and other toxic chemicals into the water that are both difficult to control and create havoc on water quality. DEP provided local resources and collected evidentiary samples from the gas tanks and lead/acid batteries. These evidentiary samples were delivered to the DEP Laboratory in Tallahassee for processing.