Election Day is November 3, and decisions made at the ballot box ultimately reach far beyond politics. They influence how Florida manages its land, wetlands and water resources.
One issue worth watching is H.R. 9017, the Restore Florida Water Independence Act of 2026, legislation addressing the federal legal obstacle to Florida's administration of portions of the Clean Water Act Section 404 program.
There is important history behind that debate. Florida has operated under a unified statewide wetland delineation methodology since 1994. Chapter 62-340, F.A.C., established that methodology, and the Florida Wetlands Delineation Manual, authored by Katherine Gilbert, Dr. John Tobe and colleagues, was developed to aid its application. [floridadep.gov], [62-340.100...of Florida]
In other words, Florida did not suddenly begin regulating and delineating wetlands when it formally assumed Section 404 permitting in 2020. The state already had decades of experience applying its own established wetland delineation methodology.
H.R. 9017 is therefore part of a larger question: should Florida again administer the assumed Section 404 program alongside the environmental permitting framework it has administered for decades?
Currently, determining whether federal Section 404 jurisdiction applies may first involve the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through an Approved Jurisdictional Determination (AJD). Where federal jurisdiction exists, Corps authorization may be required in addition to State permitting. The bottom line: additional review means additional time and cost.
And that brings us back to November 3.
Elections determine who helps shape the laws governing our natural resources. For those of us working where land meets water, those decisions eventually find their way from Washington and Tallahassee right down to the wetland line.
Be informed. Know the issues. And vote.
Wetland Extent Landward
Where land meets water, policy becomes practice.