Apalachicola Bay Area

Apalachicola was designated in 1985 pursuant to Section 380.0555, Florida Statutes. Initial designation of the Apalachicola Bay Area included the City of Apalachicola, the City of Carrabelle and unincorporated Franklin County (excluding Alligator Point). All of the designation was repealed in 1993 except for the City of Apalachicola. The Apalachicola River is the largest river in Florida. The Apalachicola River provides 35% of the freshwater input to the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The River is the second largest river entering the Gulf of Mexico, with the Mississippi being the largest, The Apalachicola together with the adjoining Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers comprise a drainage system encompassing more than 19,000 square miles of southern Georgia, eastern Alabama and northern Florida and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico through Apalachicola Bay. The Apalachicola Chattahoochee Flint basin is considered a biodiversity hotspot and harbors one of the highest concentrations of threatened and endangered species in the United States. Apalachicola Bay is one of the more productive estuaries in North America, supplying approximately 90% of the oysters in Florida and 10% nationally, and is an important nursery ground for numerous commercially - and recreationally - important fish and invertebrate species.

Additional Information

• Rule Chapter 28-22 Florida Administrative Code - Land Planning Regulations for the Apalachicola Bay Area of Critical State Concern - Franklin County
• Apalachicola Area of Critical State Concern Map
• Implementation Status Report – Apalachicola Bay Area (November 2006)
• A Report Reviewing and Assessing Current Riverfront District Intent and Identified Principal and Special Exception Uses - Apalachicola Planning Department (June 2007)
• Site-Specific Information in Support of Establishing Numeric Nutrient Criteria in Apalachicola Bay (Florida Department of Environmental Protection (August 2012)
• Apalachicola Bay Oyster Situation Report (UF/IFAS SeaGrant 2013)
• 2012 - 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Oyster Disaster Report (May 2013, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
• Section 380.0555, Florida Statutes - Apalachicola Bay Area; protection and designation as area of critical state concern