The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced the launch of its 2024-25 Great Outdoors Initiative. This initiative aims to expand public access, increase outdoor activities, and provide new lodging options across Florida's state parks. The effort underscores the state's commitment to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy, and enhancing the quality of life for Floridians.

The court-appointed receiver continues to remove the soft materials associated with the previous Port Manatee Berth 12 dredging project from the NGS-South compartment. To date, more than 151,000 cubic yards have been removed for dewatering and consolidation.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Internal Investigations Section is undergoing an assessment to retain accreditation by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). The assessment, required every three years, will review the OIG’s compliance with approximately 49 standards.

Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the Focus on Florida’s Future Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25, marking the largest single-year investment in Everglades restoration projects in Florida's history. The budget allocates $3.1 billion to expedite critical Everglades restoration projects, protect and restore Florida’s waterways using sound science, and fund infrastructure projects aimed at improving water quality and supply.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research to enhance international collaboration on harmful algal bloom management and response, including blue-green algae. This MOU is an outcome of the trade mission Governor DeSantis led to South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel aimed at expanding economic opportunities and collaboration.