Sonia Slater, Tidelands coordinator, updated the commission on the Tidelands application cycle and funding. For the cycle reviewed in the 2027 legislative session, the agency received 89 applications — 50 public-access projects and 39 managed projects — requesting a combined total of about $34 million.

Slater told commissioners that in FY26 the legislature appropriated $6.3 million in entitlement funds, that managed projects were awarded roughly $3.8 million, and that prior-year and $1.5 million in bond money were also part of the funding package. "The legislature decided not to award public access projects for this 2026 cycle, so I don't have any update to give you on those," Slater said, and added that managed projects were yet to be fully broken out.

Slater outlined the 2026 schedule for the next cycle: applications will open in May 2026 and be reviewed during the January 2027 legislative session. Commissioners and staff discussed timing and expectations for future awards.

Why it matters: Tidelands awards support public coastal access, managed restoration and infrastructure projects; withholding public-access awards this cycle shifts short-term resources toward managed projects and delays some public access improvements.

Staff asked commissioners to note the schedule and prepare for the next application intake in May 2026.