The Florida Trustee Implementation Group invites you to submit project ideas for restoration in Florida.
For our upcoming fourth post-settlement restoration plan, we are accepting ideas for Nutrient Reduction, Water Quality, Sea Turtles, and Birds restoration types. Please submit your project ideas to the Trustee Council’s portal. We will accept project ideas submitted or updated to the portal between April 15 and May 15, 2026. We will not consider previously submitted projects. This restoration plan is anticipated to utilize a portion of the settlement funds from the Florida Trustee Implementation Group’s Nutrient Reduction, Water Quality, Birds, and Sea Turtles Restoration Type allocations for these types of restoration projects. See below for additional detail on the types of projects we are requesting.
Nutrient Reduction (Programmatic Restoration Plan Sections 5.5.4 and 5.D.2): will reduce nutrient and sediment loads to provide ecosystem-scale benefits to Florida’s Gulf Coast habitats and resources that are threatened by nutrients and co-pollutants causing water quality degradation. For this restoration plan, we are requesting project submissions that address the following:
- Implementation of agricultural conservation practices
- Implementation of forestry management practices
- Implementation of erosion and sediment control practices
- Implementation of coastal and riparian conservation techniques
Water Quality (Programmatic Restoration Plan Sections 5.5.5 and 5.D.1.1, 5.D.1.7, 5.D.2): will address water quality to enhance ecosystem services and recreational use along the Florida Gulf coast by reducing pollutants, nutrients, and pathogens discharged to coastal watersheds and improving hydrology. For this restoration plan, we are requesting project submissions that address the following:
- Reduction of pollution and hydrologic degradation
- Reduction of nutrient loads
- Creation, restoration, and enhancement of coastal wetlands
- Protection and conservation of marine, coastal, estuarine, and riparian habitats
Sea Turtles (Programmatic Restoration Plan Sections 5.5.10 and 5.D.4.6 and the Strategic Framework for Sea Turtle Restoration Activities Module 4 – Approach 6: Technique 1): will help address key threats to sea turtles and emphasize activities that are consistent with their recovery plans. For this restoration plan, we are requesting project submissions that address the following:
- Enhancement of the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network for Response and Coordination
Birds (Programmatic Restoration Plan Sections 5.5.12 and 5.D.6.1, 5.D.6.3 and the Strategic Framework for Bird Restoration Activities Module 4 - Approaches 1 and 3): will enhance bird reproductive success and survival. For this restoration plan, we are requesting project submissions that address the following:
- Restoration and Conservation of Bird Nesting and Foraging Habitat, specifically:
- Creation or enhancement of oyster shell rakes and beds
- Implementation of nesting and foraging stewardship
- Installation or enhancement of artificial nest sites
- Construction of groins or breakwaters, or the use of sediment bypass methods
- Restoration or construction of barrier and coastal islands and headlands via placement of dredged sediments
- Prevention of Incidental Bird Mortality; specifically:
- Support of bird rehabilitation centers
More Information
Additional information about these restoration types is available in Chapter 5 of the programmatic restoration plan and the Strategic Frameworks for Sea Turtles and Birds. In particular, please refer to Chapter 5 sections 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.10, and 5.5.12 and Appendix D sections 5.D.2, 5.D.4, and 5.D.6 for guidance on our goals, restoration strategies, and implementation considerations for each of these restoration types.
Project ideas will be evaluated for their ability to meet the goals of the Programmatic Restoration Plan and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. We may choose to focus on a subset of these restoration types as planning progresses.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact Amy Raker, Amy.Raker@myfwc.com.
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