Partial Approval of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Restoration Blueprint Leaves Room for Future Harm

For more than a century, Audubon has been a leading voice for conservation in the Florida Keys—from establishing the Key West National Wildlife Refuge in 1908 to protect birds from the plume trade, to advocating for the creation of Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park to safeguard critical habitat from development.

This legacy continues today at our Everglades Science Center in Tavernier, where we conduct cutting-edge research on Florida Bay, directly informing water management decisions that impact the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and the Florida Keys.

Audubon has been a key stakeholder in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) since its creation, working to protect the diverse habitats these species depend on.

When the opportunity arose to update the FKNMS rules for the first time since 1997, Audubon engaged at every step. Our scientists, local experts, and advocates actively participated, ensuring science-based protections. This was a highly collaborative initiative involving state partners like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, federal partners like NOAA and the National Park Service, as well as myriad nonprofits and recreational user groups. All told, the process received more than 80,000 public comments through 70 public meetings, demonstrating widespread community support.

The Blueprint’s final outcomes strengthened protections for nesting islands, mangroves, and seagrass beds, ensuring these resources can support birds and fisheries. By protecting the natural heritage of the Florida Keys— the backbone of its economy—the Blueprint provided a fighting chance against future challenges. Unfortunately, Governor DeSantis rejected the plan’s protections within state waters pending the resolutions of state sovereignty issues.

The plan advanced for approval was a common-sense compromise that balanced the input of recreational users and resource advocates, as well as state and federal input as co-managers of the Sanctuary. Audubon is disappointed that the full Restoration Blueprint was not approved—birds and fish don’t discriminate between federal and state waters, and so our management of this vulnerable place needs to be similarly seamless. While we are glad to see portions of the plan go into effect in federal waters, the remainder is critical to the Keys’ vulnerable and declining resources.

The State of Florida cares deeply about these resources, including the Keys’ water quality, marine life, and the only barrier reef in the continental United States. We are optimistic that the remaining conservation measures in the plan can earn state approval. Their implementation is urgently needed.

65% of the marine sanctuary lies within state waters— the Keys need the state’s leadership to get the balance of this plan across the finish line. We are confident that they can and they will.

This article was published in the State of the Everglades Report/Spring 2025 edition