Florida Department of Environmental Protection
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is the state’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship, protecting our air, water and land. DEP is divided into three primary areas:
Land and Recreation programs acquire and protect lands for preservation and recreation. DEP oversees 175 state parks and trails and more than 12 million acres of public lands and 4 million acres of coastal uplands and submerged lands.
Regulatory programs safeguard natural resources by overseeing permitting and compliance activities that protect air and water quality, and manage waste cleanups.
Ecosystem Restoration programs protect and improve water quality and aquatic resources including America’s Everglades, Florida’s iconic springs and Florida’s world-renowned coastal resources. DEP works with communities, local governments and other agencies to protect and restore water quality and supply and to provide funding assistance for water restoration and infrastructure projects, as well as coordinates the protection of Florida’s submerged lands and coastal areas.
Florida’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) is made up of three programs – Clean Water State Revolving Fund, Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and State Revolving Fund Management. Both the Clean Water and the Drinking Water SRF Programs are funded through money received from federal grants as well as state contributions. These funds then “revolve” through the repayment of previous loans and interest earned. While these programs offer loans, grant-like funding is also available for qualified small, disadvantaged communities, which reduces the amount owed on loans by the percentage that the community qualifies.
