The Our Florida Reefs community representatives invite all southeast Florida community members and visitors alike to participate in the Our Florida Reefs community meetings, coming up later this month and in February. 12 meetings will be held in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties to discuss proposed management recommendations for the northernmost section of the Florida Reef Tract. The community members driving this process are eager to share information about these recommendations and are seeking feedback about them.  

Our Florida Reefs is a community-based planning process for the future of southeast Florida’s coral reefs. Community representatives have been meeting for a year and a half to learn about southeast Florida’s local reef ecosystem, its threats, and come up with management strategies to better balance the use and protection of this resource.  

Now, it’s time to learn more about these draft recommendations and give feedback. You can give feedback by going online to www.ourfloridareefs.org/RMAcomment to view, read, and comment on the draft recommendations, or attend one of 12 upcoming community meetings at a location nearest you. The meetings will take place:  

Tuesday, January 26-Martin County

Wednesday, January 27-North Palm Beach County

Friday, January 29-South Palm Beach County

Tuesday, February 16-Broward County

Wednesday, February 17-South Miami-Dade County

Thursday, February 18-North Miami-Dade County  

Two identical sessions will be held at each location, one from 12-2 p.m. and another from 6-8 p.m. Community Meetings are free and open to the public, all are welcome! For the full list of locations, see the attached flyer or visit http://www.ourfloridareefs.org/. In order for comments to be reviewed or considered, they must be submitted in writing via hard copy forms (available at the meetings) or electronically 24/7 through the website. The website will be open for comment until March 1, 2016.