BRADENTON, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills Thursday focused on coastal protection, environmental restoration and regulatory changes affecting water resources across the state.
Senate Bill 302 and House Bill 1417 include provisions aimed at strengthening coastal resiliency, updating environmental rulemaking, and protecting certain waterways and protected areas.
Terra Ceia Reserve Protection and Coastal Restoration
Senate Bill 302 creates new restrictions within the Terra Ceia Aquatic Refuge, a coastal area of Manatee County. The law prohibits dredging and filling of submerged land within protected areas, and limits its use primarily to passive recreational activities such as fishing and boating, rather than commercial transportation.
The law also requires future changes to protected areas to undergo a state-level approval process.
Additionally, the bill expands the use of nature-based coastal restoration methods, including:
Wetland Restoration Oyster Reef Restoration Mangrove Expansion Along Florida’s Coastline
State officials say these approaches are aimed at reducing erosion, mitigating storm surge risk and improving long-term coastal stability. The law also includes provisions to streamline the permitting process and allow the use of new technologies in remediation work.
Environmental rulemaking and water policy changes
House Bill 1417 makes several structural changes to Florida’s environmental regulatory process. The bill would eliminate the Environmental Regulation Commission and transfer rulemaking authority more directly to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The bill also:
Ratify the Lower Santa Fe River and Ichetucknee River Water Supply Protection Regulations in North Florida Establish requirements for stormwater management systems associated with solar energy facilities
State officials have suggested the changes are aimed at speeding up updates to environmental rules while maintaining oversight of water quality and resource management.
Sunshine Skyway fishing pier project underway
In addition to signing the bill, DeSantis announced plans to continue improvements to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge fishing pier.
According to the announcement:
Reconstruction and restoration work is underway on both the north and south piers A new pier will be constructed on the Manatee County side The existing pier on the Pinellas County side will be improved and expanded
The initial phase of the project will include parking upgrades and the addition of a wider walkway along the seawall to improve visitor access and safety.
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These bills received support from regional legislative leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Jim Boyd and Representative Will Robinson, who supported provisions related to coastal protection and local environmental issues.
