Providing Input to the Marine Zoning and Regulatory Review

Marine Zoning &
Regulatory Review

Public input and interest is one of the primary reasons that Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) is conducting a review of sanctuary regulations.

As the sanctuary moves forward in the marine zoning and regulatory review process, your input will be instrumental to helping the Sanctuary Advisory Council develop recommendations and zoning or regulatory alternatives.

During the initial public comment period in April – June 2012, the sanctuary solicited the public’s views on the direction the sanctuary should take to best protect and conserve the living marine resources and submerged cultural resources of the Florida Keys. The information gathered during that comment period will help define the range of issues to be addressed during the marine zoning and regulatory review. Read the Federal Register Notice for more information on the scoping process.

FKNMS staff compiled and summarized the comments received during the scoping period into one document - Scoping Comments Summary (pdf 5 MB). Some of the comments have been listed in multiple categories based on staff analysis. Additional materials such as maps or supporting reports and research were also submitted during the scoping period and are available online in the regulations.gov docket. Due to formatting constraints for this summary, many of the maps, charts, and submitted material were not included but will be available during discussions and deliberations by the Advisory Council (and any subsequent working groups or workshops) on the related topics.

In order to stay informed of public meetings and ways to participate in the review process, you can:

• Contact your representative on the Sanctuary Advisory Council
• Attend advisory council meetings
• Bookmark the sanctuary’s online events calendar
• Follow us on Facebook
• Sign up for marine zoning and regulatory review email updates