Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative
The Florida Legislature and Governor, in recognizing the need for innovative seagrass research to guide coastal restoration passed the Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative (Initiative, 403.9334 Florida Statutes). Under this statute, it is the intent of Legislature to establish a collaborative and coordinated effort among public and private research entities to develop restoration technologies and approaches to address the loss of seagrass and cascading ecological and economic impacts of that loss to communities across Florida.
The goal of the Initiative is to develop, test and implement innovative, effective, cost-efficient, and environmentally sustainable technologies and approaches for restoring coastal seagrass ecosystems. The Initiative is established within the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) as a partnership between the Florida Aquatic Preserve Program, Mote Marine Laboratory (Mote), and the University of Florida. The legislation requires the Department to award funds to Mote to function as the lead administrative component to achieve the goals of the Initiative.
