Florida’s waterways and coastal restoration are becoming a more visible issue in the 2026 race for governor, with Republican candidate Byron Donalds unveiling a proposed “Florida’s Coastal Corridor” and Democratic candidate David Jolly pointing to water-quality measures in his campaign platform.
Donalds announced his proposal at Caddy’s in Indian Shores, Pinellas County, describing it as a marine counterpart to the Florida Wildlife Corridor. He said the plan would coordinate existing state agencies, programs and authority rather than add regulations or restrict public fishing access.
According to Donalds, the Coastal Corridor would use the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative and state habitat monitoring to guide spending. Its stated restoration work includes artificial reefs, oyster-bar rebuilding, seagrass planting, living shorelines and coral propagation. The proposal also calls for voluntary conservation easements from willing sellers to protect coastal headwaters through tools including Florida Forever.
Florida Forever, created under a 1999 law and operating since 2000, has enabled the state to acquire more than 1 million acres of land, according to the report. The Legislature did not provide funding for the program this year, instead directing money formerly dedicated to Wildlife Corridor land acquisition to other efforts, including the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
Jolly’s campaign says its water-quality approach would address blue-green algae by reducing nutrient pollution flowing into coastal waters. It also cites septic-to-sewer conversions, agricultural runoff rules and groundwater protection as parts of its response to degraded springs and coastal water concerns.
Environmental advocates had sought to place a “Right to Clean and Healthy Waters” constitutional amendment before voters in 2026. The effort was halted after the 2025 passage of HB 1205, which created new barriers for citizen-led constitutional initiatives to collect required signatures. Organizers have said they hope to restart a similar campaign for the 2028 election.
