Rampant development threatens our environment and our quality of life. Florida is losing many coastal habitats as a result of weak and poorly enforced coastal and growth management laws. Although the state has passed many laws, coastal areas are still being overdeveloped and valuable natural habitats are disappearing. The consequences echo not only on coasts and in nearshore waters, but also across the submerged shelf to offshore reefs. Losing beaches, dunes, mangroves, and coral reefs affects the productivity and diversity of fish and wildlife populations. And without these natural barriers, millions of people living along the coast are at greater risk from storms.
