JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The organization Ocean Conservancy is continued its statewide “Florida Needs NOAA” tour in Jacksonville on Friday.
It is speaking out against proposed federal funding cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
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Ocean Conservancy fears these cuts could threaten hurricane forecasting.
They issued dire warnings, including fears about loss of life.
Ocean Conservancy said it wants this tour to educate Floridians and policymakers about how interconnected NOAA’s work is to public safety and the economy.
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According to Ocean Conservancy, which is the nation‘s oldest marine conservation nonprofit organization, the Trump administration released its fiscal year 2027 budget request to Congress, proposing a $1.7 billion cut to (NOAA).
Ocean Conservancy warns that the proposed cuts could impact major Florida based NOAA programs and partnerships. That includes:
- The National Hurricane Center
- The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami
- National Hurricane Center forecasting and storm surge warnings
It also warned that meteorological science could be impacted, such as:
- Coastal flood forecasting and resilience planning
- Real time ocean observing systems that track storm surge, water levels and harmful algal blooms across the Gulf and Atlantic
The cuts may also impact tourism economies dependent on healthy beaches and waterways, Ocean Conservancy said.
Fox News reports that the Trump administration’s proposed cuts stem from an effort to reduce the size and cost of the federal government and downscale climate change research.
At Friday’s meeting on the Northside, officials from the conservancy group reiterated how critical the agency is to the Sunshine State.
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“We live in an increasingly volatile world at a time where our weather is increasingly more unpredictable, a time when we are actually seeing more frequent and severe tropical weather. We need every resource that we could have at our disposal,” J.P. Brooker, Director of Florida Conservation for Ocean Conservancy, said.
According to Fox 13 Tampa Bay, both Senate and House budget subcommittees have expressed support for NOAA’s funding.
The House budget would limit cuts to just 6% at $400 million, far less than the administration’s proposed $1.7 billion, 25% reduction.
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