BLUE-GREEN ALGAE TASK FORCE CONSENSUS DOCUMENT
The Blue-Green Algae Task Force, through a deliberate and transparent process, continues to ensure that objective and sound science informs Florida’s environmental decision-making process. Input from the task force is used to support key funding and restoration initiatives while guiding regulatory changes needed to improve water quality.
When Governor Ron DeSantis took office, he signed Executive Order 19-12 (Achieving More Now for Florida's Environment), laying out a comprehensive strategy for environmental protection backed by unprecedented levels of legislative support. This Order also established the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. In January 2023, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 23-06 (Achieving Even More Now for Florida's Environment), building on the state's historic commitments to protect Florida’s environment and proposed a $3.5 billion investment over four years for Everglades restoration and protection of our water resources.
The task force has provided recommendations aimed at expediting improvements and restoration of Florida’s water bodies, which the state is implementing.
Many of the task force's recommendations were addressed through the passage of the Clean Waterways Act and associated rulemaking authority. Additionally, Governor DeSantis signed HB 1379 in 2023, adding further protections for Florida’s waters.
Outside of these policy and framework changes, Florida is making historic investments in water quality projects that tackle pollutant sources, help prevent HABs, enhance the state’s monitoring network to better understand nutrient impacts and algal toxins, increase transparency to Florida’s water quality data, as well as support research and innovative technologies to increase the effectiveness of algal bloom prediction and response.
The following information summarizes significant steps the state has taken toward implementation of the task force’s recommendations. Florida continues to move forward with actionable items, following recommendations while evaluating additional potential actions to resolve environmental concerns. This will be, as was intended, an ongoing and iterative process.
Thanks to Governor DeSantis' leadership and support from the Florida Legislature, the state has taken unprecedented action to restore and protect Florida’s waterways and is in the best position ever to continue taking strategic action that improves water quality. The DEP looks forward to working with the Florida Legislature and our partner agencies to further protect Florida's environment.
Blue-Green Algae Task Force Consensus Document #1 Acronyms and Abbreviations
Click on the key topics below to learn more about the state's progress and efforts towards addressing recommendations made by the Blue-Green Algae Task Force.
Key Topics
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Basin Management Action Plans
To accelerate progress toward achieving restoration targets in BMAP areas, the Blue-Green Algae Task Force recommended a more strategic approach to project selection, implementation and monitoring.
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Agriculture and Best Management Practices
The Blue-Green Algae Task Force believes full compliance with the statutory BMP requirements is necessary to realize the nutrient reduction benefits as projected in the BMAP process to achieve a TMDL. It is critical that all agricultural producers enrolled in BMP programs maintain accurate records, as articulated in the various BMP manuals, to demonstrate that they are implementing BMPs, verifying BMPs and making them available to the appropriate authorities for analysis and review. DEP incorporated responses from the DACS below.
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Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems
The task force concluded that septic systems are a well-known and substantial source of nutrients to groundwater and surface waters across the state.
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Sanitary Sewer Overflows
The task force concluded that SSOs are both a direct human health concern and a source of localized nutrient pollution, which can result in significant downstream environmental impacts including HABs. It is recommended that every effort should be made to minimize the occurrence of SSOs and their potential, negative environmental and health impacts.
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Stormwater Treatment Systems
The task force challenged the presumption that a stormwater treatment system constructed and permitted in compliance with BMP design criteria will not cause or contribute to violations of surface water quality standards in adjacent and/or connected water bodies. They concluded that available data suggest that a substantial number of stormwater treatment systems throughout the state fail to achieve their presumed performance standards.
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Innovative Technologies and Applications
The task force concluded that innovative technologies are potentially available to aid in prevention, cleanup and mitigation of HABs. Technologies, however, vary widely in approach, scalability and cost.
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Blue-Green Algae Blooms and Public Health
The task force concluded that public health issues as they relate to blue-green algae blooms are an increasing concern in Florida, though the science bearing on those concerns is quite limited and is developing over time. They noted an urgent need for studies to address acute and chronic health effects of exposure for humans, wildlife and domesticated animals to algal toxins. An essential component of such studies is access to quantitative data on algal toxins in water, sediments and air.
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Science-based Decision Making, Data Needs and Monitoring Programs
The task force recognized that renewed investment in a state-wide comprehensive water quality monitoring strategy will be a key part of water quality protection efforts moving forward. Appropriately scaled monitoring data allows water resource managers to evaluate the effectiveness of specific actions/projects intended to provide environmental benefit and are expected to be an essential part of DEP’s science-based decision-making process.
Last Modified: June 10, 2025