Mangroves in Florida: Where to Find Them

Florida's Mangrove Coastlines: Distribution & Ecology

Mangroves thrive along **both coasts of the Florida peninsula**, concentrated in the **southern half** but extending northward in sheltered areas.

Geographic Range

• Atlantic Coast: **Miami-Dade** (Biscayne Bay) → **Broward** → **Palm Beach** → **Martin** → **St. Lucie** → **Indian River** → **Brevard** (Merritt Island, Mosquito Lagoon) → **Volusia** (northern limit ~Ponce Inlet / Tomoka State Park).
• Gulf Coast: **Monroe** (Florida Keys, Everglades, 10,000 Islands) → **Collier** (Ten Thousand Islands, Rookery Bay) → **Lee** (Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island Sound) → **Charlotte** → **Sarasota** → **Manatee** → **Hillsborough** (Tampa Bay) → **Pinellas** → **Pasco** → **Hernando** → **Citrus** (Crystal River) → **Levy** (Cedar Key, northern Gulf limit).
• Panhandle: **Scattered, stunted** in protected bays (St. Andrews Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, Pensacola Bay). Not continuous. Killed by hard freezes.

Three Native Species

1. Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) – "Walking trees" with prop roots. Lowest intertidal. Most salt-tolerant.
2. Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) – Pneumatophores (snorkel roots). Mid-intertidal.
3. White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) – No visible aerial roots (usually). Highest intertidal.
4. Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) – Upland associate, not true mangrove.

Ecological Role

• **Nursery:** 75%+ game fish & 90% commercial species juveniles.
• **Shoreline Protection:** Roots dissipate wave energy, trap sediment, reduce erosion.
• **Water Quality:** Filter nutrients, pollutants.
• **Carbon Sequestration:** "Blue carbon" – among highest per hectare.
• **Habitat:** Birds (roseate spoonbill, herons), manatees, crocodiles, crabs, oysters.

Protection

Florida Mangrove Trimming & Preservation Act (1996) regulates trimming/removal. Permits required. **Illegal to remove without authorization.**

Best Viewing Spots

• Everglades NP (Anhinga Trail, Flamingo, 10,000 Islands)
• J.N. "Ding" Darling NWR (Sanibel)
• Rookery Bay NERR (Naples)
• Weedon Island Preserve (St. Pete)
• Indian River Lagoon (multiple access points)