Commissioner Adam H. Putnam

Aquaculture Leasing Program

Florida Laws | FAQ | Forms | Related Links | Contact

The Florida Legislature and the Governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund have recognized that it is in the State's economic, resource and food production interests to promote aquacultural production by leasing sovereign submerged lands. The policies, conditions, and criteria for using sovereign lands to produce aquacultural products are provided in the Florida Statutes and the Florida Administrative Code, and the use of sovereign lands is authorized by the Governor and Cabinet.

The Division of Aquaculture is responsible for the aquaculture leasing program, making submerged state lands and the overlying water column available for producing aquaculture products. There are three forms of authorizations available for conducting aquaculture activities on sovereignty submerged lands; including an aquaculture lease, an aquaculture letter of consent, and an aquaculture management agreement.  The Division acts on behalf of the Board of Trustees to administer the aquaculture lease program.

Persons wishing to use submerged lands or the water column to conduct aquacultural activities must submit a written application as prescribed in Chapter 253, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 18-21, Florida Administrative Code. The Division of Aquaculture will provide applicants with an application form, guidelines for completing the application, and an overview of application review and approval processes.

Florida Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How do I apply for an aquaculture lease?
    You may apply for an aquaculture lease by completing a lease application form. Please give us your name and address, and we will mail a lease application package (AquaPak) to you.

  2. How long does it take to get a lease?
    Most applications take approximately six months to process. However, if substantial environmental or local issues arise during the lease application review process, the application can take a year or longer to complete. For this reason, we recommend that you contact the staff before you submit the lease application, in order to discuss the site location, as well as other important matters pertaining to your lease application.

  3. How much does it cost to apply for a lease?
    A lease application processing fee in the amount of $200 is required to be submitted along with the completed lease application. Upon approval of the lease application, an annual rental fee will be required. The current rates charged annually for bottom aquaculture leases are $16.73 per acre and $33.46 per acre for water column leases (adjusted based on the five-year change in the Consumer Price Index), and a surcharge in the amount of $10 per acre.

  4. What permits or licenses are required in order to manage and operate an aquaculture lease site?
    You are required to obtain and maintain an annual Aquaculture Certificate with the Division of Aquaculture upon receipt of a signed lease agreement. The staff will send a certificate application along with the signed lease agreement. This is the only form of authorization that you need to possess seedstock; to plant it on your lease; and to harvest the market size product on the lease site.

  5. Are there any minimum clam planting requirements that I will be required to satisfy after I get a lease?
    Before your lease application is approved by the State, the lease applicant must agree to plant a minimum of 100,000 seed clams per acre, per year. Each year the State will audit each lease, and in that process you will be required to send copies of all of your seedstock receipts for the previous year. This enables the staff to verify whether or not each lessee satisfied minimum effective cultivation requirements.

  6. How do I obtain authorization to construct or operate an aquaculture dock?
    You may apply for an aquaculture dock by completing the Application for Sovereignty Submerged Land Aquaculture Letter of Consent. Specific criteria for requirements for aquaculture docks are provided in subsections, 18-21.020  DOC - Click to download the Word Viewer (link will open in a new window) , F.A.C. and 18-21.021  DOC - Click to download the Word Viewer (link will open in a new window) , F.A.C.

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Forms

Please follow the instructions provided below when printing and completing the forms listed.

  1. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view or print forms. Skip this step if Adobe Reader is already installed on your pc.
  2. Print forms on white 8 1/2" x 11" paper.
  3. Type or print the entire form in blue or black ink.
  4. Make check payable to: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES.
  5. Mail check(s) to: FDACS-Aquaculture Leasing, Post Office Box 6700, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-6700.

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Related Links

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Contact

If you have any questions regarding information packages and guidelines for applying for submerged lands aquaculture leases, please contact:
Anne Cerwin
E-mail Anne.Cerwin@freshfromflorida.com
1203 Governor's Square Boulevard, Fifth Floor Tallahassee, FL 32301
Telephone: (850) 488-5471
Fax: (850) 410-0893

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