Organizational Structure of State Level Natural Resource Management: Impacts on Coastal Protection

Abstract

"The State of Florida and some other States have recently considered consolidating natural resource and environmental management functions under a central state agency. The rationale for consolidation put forward by governors and legislators revolves around concepts of efficiency, simplicity and accessibility in a centralized operation. In contrast, other States have fragmented into a state Conservation agency and a state environmental Protection agency. The philosophy here is smaller agencies make fewer compromises in their mission and the public has greater opportunity for access and services. When a state government chooses to undertake either type of transition, considerable amounts of time, effort and funding are expended to establish the new institutional structure. This paper examines underlying reasons for centralization/decentralization of success/failure in organizational change and the end impacts on service communities, especially in coastal zone protection of the environment, and thus in assurance of fulfillment of the Public Trust Doctrine. Failure of government to comply with the Public Trust Doctrine is considered by many to be at least a basic violation of intergenerational equity."