'OUR FLORIDA REEFS' WEBSITE WINS AWARD

Florida DEP Banner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 11, 2014

CONTACT: Amber Nabors, 850-879-6188, Amber.Nabors@dep.state.fl.us

'OUR FLORIDA REEFS' WEBSITE WINS AWARD

~Coral Reef Conservation Program website tops 68 entries to win prestigious award~


TALLAHASSEE  The Department of Environmental Protection’s Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP), Strategic Ocean Solutions and Wacky Puppy Design have been bestowed the Interactive Media Council’s (IMC) Outstanding Achievement Award for the Our Florida Reefs website.

The Our Florida Reefs (OFR) website won in the Natural Environment/Green category against 68 other entries. The OFR website contains comprehensive information outlining the purpose, timeline, participants and goals of the community-planning process administered by the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI).

 “With the launch of the Our Florida Reefs website, DEP’s CRCP and SEFCRI have had the opportunity to make significant strides in communicating to southeast Florida residents and visitors about coral reef conservation,” said Jamie Monty, manager of the Coral Reef Conservation Program. “This award not only acknowledges the creative innovators at Strategic Ocean Solutions and Wacky Puppy Design for producing an eye-catching, easy-to-use website, but also the hard work of the SEFCRI team in providing the nearly 10 years of data on southeast Florida coral reefs.”

The winning score of 474 points was compiled from the following categories:       

         Design: 92/100
         Content: 97/100
         Feature Functionality: 100
         Usability: 95/100
         Standards Compliance: 90/100

These classifications encompass the mission of Our Florida Reefs, a community planning process for the northern one-third of Florida’s reef tract. Stakeholders include various reef users, local residents, business owners, agency representatives and the public within Broward, Martin, Miami-Dade and Martin counties. The OFR process strategically includes public involvement for the future management of the reef system and is hosted by the SEFCRI via the Coral Reef Conservation Program.

"We are thrilled that the IMC recognized the Our Florida Reefs website with this award," said Annie Reisewitz, director of communications at Strategic Ocean Solutions. "Working collaboratively with SEFCRI, we were able to provide the community with an accessible website where they can learn about and participate in this important community-planning process to protect Florida's coral reefs." 

To view the official award, click here.  

To check out the award-winning website, click here.