Sarasota Bay Estuary Program
The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program is a cooperative partnership among communities, researchers, and governments that strives to improve the health of Sarasota Bay and enhance the area's natural resources for public benefit.
Celebrating National Estuaries Week
From September 20–27, organizations across the country, including SBEP, will be celebrating their local waterways. To honor our own and the dedicated groups working together to hit home runs in water quality, habitat restoration, and education, we're shining a spotlight on some of the standout “Sarasota Baysball” players.
GT Bray Has Come A Long Way!
The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Manatee County, the City of Bradenton, and the US Environmental Protection Agency hosted a ribbon-cutting event on September 19, 2024 to celebrate the completion of two restoration projects at GT Bray Park. A year later, both sites are flourishing thanks to effective maintenance plans and robust volunteer efforts.
Featured News & Notes
As you know, the recovery of Sarasota Bay’s water quality over the last few years didn’t come about by chance alone. Two years ago, we informed the board about FDEP’s findings that they were going to formally “de-list” the open waters of Sarasota Bay from their prior determination of being out of compliance with Numeric Nutrient…
Read MoreIf you’ve ever mowed your lawn in Florida, you know that most people don’t use a bag on the back side of their mower to “catch” grass clippings. Instead, most of us use mulching mowers. In the summer, I would mow my lawn every weekend, and by the time Saturday rolled around, the grass clippings…
Read MoreAlmost two years ago, the SBEP was communicating with local stakeholders to try and explain the different bacteria classes and standards that exist for our waters – Director’s Note: Bacteria and impairment status updates – Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. The state of Florida uses three main “fecal indicator bacteria” to determine compliance with standards meant…
Read MoreThe Eyes on Seagrass Program is a bi-annual citizen science event where participants travel to various locations throughout Sarasota Bay to collect information on macroalgae and seagrass coverage. Results are then integrated into the Sarasota Bay Ecosystem Health Report Card. This year, 42 dedicated volunteers contributed a total of 168 hours to the program. Thank…
Read MoreThe Bayfront Park seawall retrofit, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, features Living Seawall panels that reintroduce aquatic habitat to hundreds of feet of shoreline on Longboat Key. While not as biodiverse as natural shorelines, these panels illustrate one of the many ways we can optimize manmade infrastructure to support marine life. What…
Read MoreHopefully, you’re aware of our recent good news on the health of the bay. If not, it’s pretty basic, and it involved a couple of steps: Concerns over the obvious deterioration in the health of the bay manifested themselves in a series of public meetings, culminating in a packed auditorium at Riverview High School in…
Read MoreOur Programs
We work with our partners to improve the science of bay management, restore wildlife habitats, and increase community engagement in bay restoration efforts.