The Council 
 The
Florida Oceans and Coastal Council was created by the 2005
Legislature through
The Oceans and Coastal Resources Act
[pdf - 20 KB]. The Council is charged each year with
developing priorities for ocean and coastal research and
establishing a statewide ocean research plan. The group will
also coordinate public and private ocean research for more
effective coastal management.
To this end, the Oceans Council conducts
regular meetings
as part of creating an annual report recommending research
priorities. They examine the management needs of those
Florida agencies having coastal and marine resource
management responsibilities. The research needed to address
these management needs is identified and prioritized based
upon overall state importance. This prioritized list is sent
to the Legislature in December of each year for use in
constructing the state budget.
Additionally, the Council is charged to make management
recommendations to the Legislature. In the most recent FY
2007-2008 Research Plan, the Oceans Council recommended an
Integrated Data Management and Dissemination plan to improve
access and storage of research and resource information.
The Council is comprised of
three non-voting members and fifteen voting members appointed by
the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS).
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