Collaboration among more than 100 local, state and federal agencies, as well as academic institutions and non-governmental organizations determined the five priority marine and estuarine habitats and available data sources and defined the geographic scope for the Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources (SEACAR). Through iterative stakeholder feedback, habitats and associated indicators important for habitat management and policy remain the focus of statewide assessment.

Resource Assessment Teams

DEP Steering Team

SEACAR Project Staff and DEP Leadership

This team provides guidance and ensures successful management and implementation of SEACAR.

Resource Assessment Data Team

Agencies, Land Managers, NGOs and Universities

This team provides scientific knowledge and expertise to identify data and information needs, and recommends indicators and identifies protocols, methods and measures that can be synthesized for analysis. Subject Matter Expert Teams, a subset of the Resource Assessment Teams, are tasked to review program data, recommend spatial and temporal scale for analysis, provide confidence level rankings and develop the technical report.

Resource Assessment Partner Team

Natural Resource Managers, Planners and Elected Officials
This team provides management and policy perspective to identifying indicators and product formats for the assessment.

Participating Organizations

* Provide data to the SEACAR Data Discover site.

Apalachee Regional Planning CouncilNational Estuary Program (NEP)*
Apalachicola RiverkeeperNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)*
AudubonNational Park Service (NPS)*
Brevard CountyNatureServe
Brevard ZooNortheast Florida Regional Planning Council
Broward County*Northeastern University*
Centralized Data Management Office (CDMO)Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD)*
Charlotte CountyNova Southeastern University (NSU)*
Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance*NRDA Oyster Technical Working Group*
City of Miami Beach*Ocean Conservancy
City of NaplesOcean Research & Conservation Association*
City of Palm CoastOyster Sentinel*
City of Punta GordaPaleontological Research Institution (PRI)
City of SanibelPalm Beach County*
Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP)*Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Collier CountyPinellas County*
Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL)*Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF)*
Escambia CountySarasota County*
Flagler College*Smithsonian Institution*
Flagler CountySouth Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)*
Florida A&M UniversitySouthwest Florida Regional Planning Council
Florida Atlantic University (FAU)*Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)*
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)*St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association*
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)*St. Johns County
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)*St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD)*
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)*St. Leo University*
Florida International University (FIU)*St. Lucie County
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)*Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD)*
Florida Oceanographic SocietyTampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP)*
Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA)*Tampa Bay Interagency Seagrass Monitoring Program*
Florida State University (FSU)*Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
Friends of GTM*The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative*
Gulf Coast State CollegeThe Nature Conservancy (TNC)*
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission*The Pew Charitable Trusts
Harbor Branch Oceanographic InstitutionTown of Fort Myers Beach
Hillsborough CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)*
Indian River Land TrustU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)*
Inwater Research Group Inc.U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)*
Jacksonville UniversityUniversity of Central Florida (UCF)*
Keep America BeautifulUniversity of Florida (UF)*
Lee County*University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Leon CountyUniversity of Miami (UM)
Louisiana State University (LSU)*University of New Hampshire (UNH)*
Loxahatchee River District (LRD)*University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)*
Manatee CountyUniversity of South Florida (USF)*
Marine Discovery Center*University of Southern Mississippi (USM)*
Martin CountyUniversity of Tampa
Miami Waterkeeper*University of West Florida (UWF)
Miami-Dade County*Volusia County*
Monroe County*Washington High School Marine Science Academy
Mote Marine Laboratory*West Coast Inland Navigation District

To participate as a member of a resource assessment team or to receive updates on the Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources project, please contact SEACAR@FloridaDEP.gov or Cheryl.P.Clark@FloridaDEP.gov. Assessment team meetings began spring of 2017 and will continue throughout the duration of the project.

Last Modified: Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026 - 11:23am