St. Andrew–St. Joe Estuary program seeks national designation; commissioners ask for more financial detail

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 host.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about finances and local obligations. Commissioner Raffield and others asked whether taking federal funds would create "strings attached" that could bind the county to federal rules. Graham said federal funding is tested against performance under the CCMP: "as long as we are doing actions and spending the funding on things that are in the CCMP, we check our boxes." She said the program had raised approximately $8.5 million in federal grant funds since 2021 and that in-kind contributions (for example, office space at FSU) are used as matching resources.

Graham described one commonly cited headline figure: roughly $800,000 per year as a funding level used by some estuary programs. She clarified that local jurisdictions would not necessarily be required to supply the full amount; rather, a designated estuary program typically uses a diversified match portfolio including federal grants, in-kind contributions, municipal or county allocations, license-plate or dedicated revenues and other sources. The program's current recommendation for an annual allocation request to Bay County as part of an allocation methodology discussed with the policy board was $50,000, Graham said; she added that contributions would remain decisions of individual commissions or councils.

Commissioner Claire (first name as recorded in the transcript) and other commissioners pressed for clearer, itemized budgets showing how requested county contributions would be used and how much of the program's staff are core positions. Graham said the estuary program has a core staff of 3.5 positions (she said the program currently has seven staff when including positions funded by grants) and described those core positions as dedicated to the estuary program’s ongoing administration. She said the program had previously received local support and that the initial county investment of about $720,000 had leveraged additional grant funding; Graham said, as presented to the board, that earlier local investment had produced a return of roughly $12 for every $1 invested, though she characterized funding mixes as variable.

Timeline questions surfaced: commissioners asked how long it would take to achieve national designation. Graham noted that new national estuary program designations are rare and cited Pensacola Perdido as an example; she said that process had taken about six years. She said current opportunities in Congress and a reauthorization cycle in 2026 could shorten the timeline for new designations.

County Manager Mike (as recorded) said staff will continue to work with Graham and that the commission could schedule further updates and discussion. No formal vote on designation or funding was taken at the June 3 meeting; staff said they would return with more information and requested materials for commissioners to review before the board considers any formal county funding commitment.