Art. II, § 7, Fla. Const. · Article II. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Natural resources and scenic beauty.
Text — As revised in 1968 and subsequently amended (Online Sunshine, retrieved 2026-10-04)
(a) It shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty. Adequate provision shall be made by law for the abatement of air and water pollution and of excessive and unnecessary noise and for the conservation and protection of natural resources.
(b) Those in the Everglades Agricultural Area who cause water pollution within the Everglades Protection Area or the Everglades Agricultural Area shall be primarily responsible for paying the costs of the abatement of that pollution. For the purposes of this subsection, the terms “Everglades Protection Area” and “Everglades Agricultural Area” shall have the meanings as defined in statutes in effect on January 1, 1996.
(c) To protect the people of Florida and their environment, drilling for exploration or extraction of oil or natural gas is prohibited on lands beneath all state waters which have not been alienated and that lie between the mean high water line and the outermost boundaries of the state’s territorial seas. This prohibition does not apply to the transportation of oil and gas products produced outside of such waters. This subsection is self-executing.
Notes and commentary — not constitutional text
History
Am. by Initiative Petition filed with the Secretary of State March 26, 1996; adopted 1996; Am. proposed by Constitution Revision Commission, Revision No. 5, 1998, filed with the Secretary of State May 5, 1998; adopted 1998; Am. proposed by Constitution Revision Commission, Revision No. 4, 2018, filed with the Secretary of State May 9, 2018; adopted 2018.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As revised in 1968 and subsequently amended (Online Sunshine, retrieved 2026-10-04)
- Official file
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes
- Text hash
- sha256 83b7287aac78e6d344b20822de04e60f9e9b62cae8eef65a00e71b90f256b4cb
- Composed by
- compose_v2.py 2026-10-04: the Legislature's structured HTML read in document order; verify_v2.py's independent reading agrees character for character
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Cited by 6 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Art. II, § 7, Fla. Const.. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
The Florida Statutes
- § 253.781, Fla. Stat.Retention of state-owned lands along former Cross Florida Barge Canal route; creation of Cross Florida Greenways State Recreation and Conservation Area; authorizing transfer to the Federal Government for inclusion in Ocala National Forest.Printed as s. 7, Art. II of the State Constitution
- § 253.782, Fla. Stat.Retention of state-owned lands in and around Lake Rousseau and the Cross Florida Barge Canal right-of-way from Lake Rousseau west to the Withlacoochee River.Printed as s. 7, Art. II of the State Constitution
- § 373.4592, Fla. Stat.Everglades improvement and management.Printed as s. 7(b), Art. II of the State Constitution
- § 380.021, Fla. Stat.Purpose.Printed as
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.