A Decade of DEP’s Dereliction of Duty to Protect Florida’s Springs

Chloe Dougherty
7 hours ago
4 min read

Have you heard 2026 is the new 2016? There’s a trend going around social media right now encouraging people to post pictures of themselves from 2016, which just happens to be a pivotal year for springs conservation. When legislators passed SB 552, they expected our springs would look much better in 2026 than they did in 2016 and, certainly, much better than they do today.

Looking Back on 2016

For nearly three years, springs protectors worked with legislators, DEP, and industry lobbyists to pass meaningful legislation to accelerate springs restoration and protect springs from future harm. The end result of that effort was SB 552, an omnibus environmental resources act that included the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act - a new act to protect a new class of waters: Outstanding Florida Springs.

At the end of the day, industry lobbyists and DEP staff convinced the legislature to water down the legislation, creating numerous loopholes for polluters. Although it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction, many conservation groups, including the Florida Springs Council, opposed the final version of the bill over concerns that the legislation would not be able to achieve the lofty goals of restoring spring flow and water quality within 20 years. Regardless, SB 552 passed the legislature on January 14th, 2016, and was signed into law by Governor Scott ten years ago today.

2016 is also the year the Florida Springs Council officially became a non-profit springs advocacy organization. Springs protectors from across the state were at a crossroads. Local springs groups were making a difference in their communities, inspiring their neighbors to protect the precious water resources in their backyards. But, springs advocates weren’t coordinated at the state level, missing a unified voice in the Capitol and without the resources needed to take on big polluters and state agencies.

2016 was the year that changed. Representatives from local springs groups came together to create a statewide coalition dedicated to protecting Florida’s springs through lobbying, policy, law, and grassroots action, forming the Florida Springs Council.

If 2026 is the new 2016, it will be another momentous year for the springs conservation movement. And, this time we have an even bigger community of springs advocates across the state ready to fight for our springs and rivers. The Florida Springs Council has been alive and fighting for a decade. Our longtime springs advocates and board members have been working on restoring our springs even decades longer.

It’s been 10 years of the Florida Springs Council and 10 years of the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act. As we reflect on the past 10 years, we’re also looking ahead to another 10 years of springs protection with a decade of hardwon battles, a strong community of advocates, and a determination to reverse the destruction of Florida’s unique springs guiding our efforts.

Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act 💦 Dive Deeper

10 years ago today, during the second week of the 2016 Legislative Session, Governor Scott signed into law a 134-page Environmental Resources bill which included the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act (FSAPA). The bill passed 37-0 in the Senate and 110-2 in the House.

The FSAPA:

established 30 Outstanding Florida Springs (OFS);
required DEP to adopt Basin Management Action Plans (water quality restoration plans), for any OFS impaired by nitrogen pollution, that would achieve water quality standards within 20 years;
required the delineation of “Priority Focus Areas” for each OFS,
required the DEP to adopt recovery and prevention strategies to ensure that water levels and flows meet Minimum Flows and Levels within 20 years;
prohibited certain land uses within OFS basins, and
required the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to “adopt uniform rules for issuing permits which prevent groundwater withdrawals that are harmful” to OFS and adopt a uniform definition of the term “harmful to the water resources."

So long as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection upheld the law, our springs should have been on a path to restoration. Unfortunately, FDEP has been the biggest obstacle to seeing the good provisions in SB 552 implemented and our springs restored. 10 years later, we’re still pushing for FDEP to make a meaningful effort to fulfill the requirements of this critical legislation and see the improvements in springs water quality and flow that were promised ten years ago when SB 552 was signed into law. Challenging our state agencies - in the courts, the Capitol, and the media - to enforce the provisions of the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act and subsequent changes to Florida Statutes is a big part of what we do every day at the Florida Springs Council.

Looking Ahead

Today, FSC has two ongoing legal challenges to hold FDEP accountable for failing to implement two of the most important provisions of the FSAPA: adopting OFS Basin Management Action Plans that will achieve water quality goals by 2038 and adopting consumptive use permitting rules that put the brakes on harmful water use permits.

We spend much of our time and resources each legislative session working with legislators and conservation allies to safeguard the environmental regulations we already have in place while pushing for stronger protections for our springs, conservation lands, and wildlife.

The clock is ticking on springs restoration. Our state agencies have squandered most of the past ten years, refusing to follow the law and hold polluters and large water users accountable. The next 10 years will determine not only the fate of the Florida Springs & Aquifer Protection Act and the legacy of the legislators and lobbyists who championed it, but also whether or not we will see a restored Silver Springs and Santa Fe River in our lifetimes.

Nevertheless, I remain hopeful because of our community of springs advocates and legislative allies, and the growing public awareness and concern over the health of our waters, conservation lands, and wildlife. With your help, ten years from now we will have a new message of progress and improvement for our one-of-a-kind Florida springs.