State seeks input on how to manage new Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve

https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2021/09/27/state-seeks-input-on-how-to-manage-the-new-nature-coast-aquatic-preserve/. 

PORT RICHEY — Last year, Florida lawmakers created the Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve, setting up more than 700 square miles along the coast of Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties, to be jointly managed and help the state strike a complex balance of protecting natural resources while recognizing their economic importance.

Now, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection wants public input to define the community’s views.

The preserve includes the largest swath of lush seagrass in the Gulf of Mexico, at 400,000 acres. It is also home to sponge fields, mangrove forests, oyster reefs and salt marshes — environmental gems that are vital to marine life and sensitive to human use.