About the Coalition

Florida's Nature Coast is the vast mosaic of wetlands, cypress forests, estuaries, rivers, uplands, seagrass beds, and salt marshes that stretch from Pasco County to the Wakulla/Franklin County region. It is Florida’s longest and wildest natural coastline. The Nature Coast Coalition brings conservation and community leaders together in concerted effort on behalf of this fragile landscape.

In the Nature Coast the environment is the economy, and protecting natural systems ensures future generations have both clean air and water, and a chance for a sustainable economy.

To succeed, the Coalition must represent the interests of all. Conservation groups must work with diverse stakeholders including hunters, recreational and commercial fisherman, tour operators, local business owners, chambers of commerce, and those in the aquaculture or agriculture fields. Together, we can link a sustainable economy with sustainable management and use of natural resources.

Nature Coast Campaign Hits
High Gear in 2010!

2010 will be a pivotal years for Florida's Nature Coast. Major projects that could shape the future of this region will come to a head over the next two years, and the fate of one of the most ecologically important areas left in the Gulf of Mexico hangs in the balance. Gulf Restoration Network has been working on Nature Coast issues since we opened our Florida Office in June of 2007. We are proud to be working with groups like SouthWings, and advocates and artists like Eric Zamora. The work we have done together, the foundation we have laid to protect this amazing place will be tested as mines, developments, paper mills, and huge new road networks are poised for permits or approvals over the next two years.

What is a stake if these projects are approved or continue is staggering. Florida's Nature Coast, comprised of the coastal counties along Florida's Gulf Coast from Pasco County to Wakulla County, is one of the longest pristine and mostly undeveloped coastal wetlands systems left anywhere in the Gulf. Over a hundred miles of seagrass beds, wetlands, coastal hammocks, and coastal marsh comprise this ecological treasure. This is ground zero in terms of protecting what is left of the Gulf Coast of Florida.

We continue in 2009 to build our Nature Coast Coalition and to deepen and strengthen our advocacy for this region by making saving the Nature Coast a statewide issue. This is one of Florida's last frontiers, and we are on the front lines in the fight to protect it as it is for future generations.

Values for Our Coalition

We believe that coastal wetlands are unique in their functions and should be preserved at all costs. Some of their critical functions include: acting as storm buffer; filtering runoff before it enters the Gulf; helping to protect water quality in fresh water springs; providing the critical habitat where freshwater wetlands meet the salt marsh and creating an area of high ecological function that cannot be duplicated through mitigation at inland locations. The following values will guide our activities on behalf of the nature coast.

• Increased development in the coastal high-hazard zone increases possible loss of life and property. Additionally with the critical need to respond to sea level rise with adaptation strategies that will lessen coastal development it makes no sense to permit large new projects that lie right along the coast.
• Unit density in clustering should be related to ecosystem quality. When clustering is used to achieve density, land that is not as likely to receive permits for development (such as wetland systems) should not be granted the same weight in determining the allowable number of units in a development as would high quality uplands dedicated to preservation in a density tradeoff.
• Prioritize compliance with planning. Coastal communities and coastal development proposals should comply with Florida's Coastal Zone Management (CZM) plans and policies and reflect the goals of Florida’s CZM plan.
• Critical and essential habitat for keystone or umbrella species like Florida Black Bears is essential for protection of large, functioning ecosystems. Greenways and wildlife corridors need to be protected, and imperiled populations of imperiled species, like the Chassahowitzka Black Bears in the southern Nature Coast, should not have critical habitat destroyed by coastal development