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St. Andrew–St. Joe Estuary program seeks national designation; commissioners ask for more financial detail
Summary
Dr. Jessica Graham described steps toward National Estuary Program designation, funding possibilities and what designation would and would not change; commissioners requested more detailed budgets and clarity on potential local contributions.
Dr. Jessica Graham, representing the St. Andrew and St. Joe Estuary Program, told the Bay County Board of County Commissioners on June 3 that the program is seeking National Estuary Program designation and is working to finalize outstanding information requested by the commission before any formal county commitment.
Graham said the program has published a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) in April 2024 and that national designation would open opportunities to pursue federal funding to implement components of that plan. "It does not increase regulation," she told the commission, adding that the program would not change local permit authority or transfer regulatory control to federal agencies. Graham said the designation would "provide some additional funding to come into the area that will help to implement that management plan and the actions that are in that management plan." She identified Florida State University as the program's fiscal…
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