Agricultural Regional Projects Program

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, through the Office of Agricultural Water Policy, administers the Agricultural Regional Projects Program to support regional agricultural water quality and water quantity improvement projects. The program is tied to Florida's efforts under section 403.067(7)(e), Florida Statutes, to reduce nutrient pollution and help meet total maximum daily load requirements established through Basin Management Action Plans. The program is intended to complement on-farm best management practices by supporting projects that address agricultural nonpoint source pollution at a broader regional scale and produce measurable water quality improvements. Funding is available through two project categories: Water Treatment and Infrastructure Projects and Enhanced BMP Implementation Projects. Eligible activities include projects that capture regional water or treat impaired water bodies affected by agricultural nonpoint source pollution. Examples include dispersed water management, rapid infiltration, hydrologic restoration, water storage and attenuation, hybrid wetland treatment technology, floating aquatic vegetative tilling, water storage and treatment ponds, bioreactors, bioretention, biofiltration, watershed improvement impoundments, regional manure management, regional cover cropping, regional integrated crop livestock systems, regional controlled release fertilizer, and feasibility or pilot studies intended to lead to a large-scale regional project. Projects must include a clear data collection plan demonstrating effectiveness in addressing agricultural nonpoint source pollution, and project sites are not required to be located on agricultural property. The program has $25 million in state funding available for project awards, with $5 million required to be spent in the Lake Okeechobee basins. The RFA does not state a minimum or maximum award amount per recipient or a predetermined number of awards. Applicants must provide a detailed project budget covering cost estimates, in-kind contributions, potential partner cost sharing, available matching funds, total project costs, and operations and maintenance costs. Matching funds are not stated as a mandatory condition of eligibility, but they are considered during scoring, and applicants receive full points for matching funds equal to or greater than 50 percent of total project cost. Water Treatment and Infrastructure project construction must be completed within three years, with multi-year projects encouraged. Such projects also require a conservation easement or other land use restriction before construction. Extensions may be considered in exceptional circumstances with adequate justification and a revised timeline. Eligible applicants include local governmental entities addressing agricultural nonpoint source pollution, water management districts, soil and water conservation districts, institutions of higher education, conservation groups, private landowners, individuals, and other entities such as environmental groups and regulated interests. Every applicant must demonstrate that the proposed project will provide measurable regional-scale water quality improvements. Funding consideration is geographically limited to specified Florida Basin Management Action Plan areas, including Lake Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Caloosahatchee, Wacissa, Suwannee, Santa Fe, Kings Bay and Crystal River Spring Group, Rainbow and Silver Springs, and Chassahowitzka-Homosassa and Weeki Wachi Springs. Attachment 1 further identifies eligible BMAP and Agricultural Cooperative Regional Water Quality Elements areas. Applications were required to be submitted through the Agricultural Regional Projects Program link on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services grants page by November 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Required application information includes applicant and contact information, an agricultural operation description, project location information, a preliminary Grant Work Plan using the applicable project template, a nutrient load reduction or water savings plan, expected regional impacts, maps and impacted watersheds, a project timeline with milestones, a detailed budget, cost-effectiveness information, partnerships and letters of support, and a data collection and monitoring plan. The monitoring plan must address measurement parameters, monitoring locations, frequency and methods, baseline pre-project conditions, measurable improvement goals, and how progress will be tracked. Applicants claiming confidential or exempt information must follow the RFA's separate unredacted, redacted, and indexing procedures. Applications first undergo a minimum mandatory requirement review for completeness and responsiveness. Applicants meeting the minimum requirements are invited to present their projects through Microsoft Teams or another agreed virtual platform. Selection committee members then independently evaluate and score technical applications. Evaluation factors include project type, strategic location and multi-source targeting, nutrient load or leaching reductions, cost benefit, water quantity, project readiness, data collection and monitoring, innovation and sustainability, collaboration and partnerships, and availability of matching dollars. High-impact technologies, projects in high-load ACE areas, ready-to-implement projects, significant nutrient reductions, cost-effectiveness, regional collaboration, innovation, and robust monitoring can strengthen an application's competitiveness. The RFA was announced on October 6, 2025. The applicant question and answer period ended October 13, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET, applications were due November 7, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. ET, initial review and virtual presentations were scheduled through December 5, 2025, and the Notice of Award was scheduled for December 12, 2025. Subrecipient agreement execution was anticipated in January 2026. Successful recipients must comply with the FDACS State Financial Assistance Recipient Agreement and provide required project monitoring and reporting. At the end of the project period, a final report must include nutrient reduction data, project expense and budget documentation, challenges and solutions, and other information agreed upon with the Department. Questions regarding the RFA are directed in writing to AgRegionalProjects@fdacs.gov.

Prioritize projects with significant nutrient reduction potential and strong cost-effectiveness; demonstrate readiness to implement; target high-load ACE areas where applicable; provide clear regional benefits and collaboration; use a robust data collection and monitoring framework; emphasize innovation and long-term sustainability; matching funds equal to or greater than 50% of total project cost receive full points for the matching-funds criterion.