Program objective

The EPA South Florida Program provides competitive grants to address the immediate and emerging ecological pressures and threats to south Florida waters including fresh waters, estuaries, bays, and coral reef, central to South Florida’s economic and ecological wellbeing. Aquatic ecosystems play a vital role supporting healthy and resilient estuaries, coastal, inland, and near-shore infrastructure by providing food, habitat, nutrient removal, water filtration, storm attenuation, carbon storage, shoreline stabilization, and other financial and tangible benefits. This assistance listing is for the South Florida Program region that includes the 16-county area covered by South Florida Water Management District as well as the Florida Keys, Florida Reef Tract, Caloosahatchee Estuary, Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie Estuary, Florida Bay, and Biscayne Bay. The South Florida Program competitive grants are supported by the 2024 Congressional Explanatory Statement which provides the following: "The Committees recommend at least $2,000,000 to monitor coral health in South Florida; $1,150,000 to enhance water quality and seagrass monitoring in the Caloosahatchee Estuary and Indian River Lagoon, especially with respect to assessing the impact of Lake Okeechobee discharges and harmful algal blooms; $1,150,000 to enhance water quality and seagrass monitoring in Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay, especially with respect to assessing the impact of Everglades Restoration projects and harmful algal blooms; and $1,000,000 for the expansion of the water quality and ecosystem health monitoring and prediction network which will use vetted, modern procedures for long-term monitoring of Florida waters, including Molecular, Algal, Ocean Floor, and Seagrasses." Congress provided an additional $3.2 million to the South Florida Program through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), in which Congress provided to states, tribes, local governments, and communities to protect and restore natural habitats with a focus on climate resilience. In Fiscal Year 2025, funding priorities will include: 1) Aquatic Habitat Restoration in South Florida; 2) Addressing Climate Resiliency and Water Resource Management Issues; 3) Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling; 4) Support Local Community-Based Projects to Protect Waterways and Aquatic Habitat; 5) Florida Reef Tract Coral Health; 6) Nutrient Management to Reduce Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs); and 7) Stormwater/Nutrient Pollutant Reduction Projects. Implementation of IIJA funding opportunities also prioritizes funding for communities which are underserved and overburdened. These communities tend to be disproportionally at risk from climate change impacts, water quality issues, and lack educational opportunities. The EPA recognizes the disproportionate impact of pollution and climate stress on communities with environmental justice concerns. The agency will prioritize partners protecting and restoring water quality using new or innovative approaches, methods, or technologies with green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and resilient infrastructure less vulnerable to flooding and the effects of the changing climate in low-income and underserved communities.