The Division of Aquaculture is responsible for the aquaculture leasing programs, making submerged state lands and the overlying water column available for producing aquaculture products. The Bureau of Aquaculture Development is responsible for leasing sovereignty submerged lands to encourage aquacultural development. Persons wishing to lease 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 a list of steps involved in the application review and approval processes. You may apply for an aquaculture lease by completing a lease application form.
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. Upon approval of the lease application, an annual rental fee will be required. You are required to apply for an 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.