Sturmer, Katie2020-11-242020-11-242020Sturmer, Katie. “Connecting the Dots: Strengthening the Communication between Researchers, Community Members, and Policy Makers in the Florida Reef Tract.” Royal Road, 2020. https://doi.org/10.48497/FMET-NY86.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/1376Recommended Citation: Sturmer, Katie. “Connecting the Dots: Strengthening the Communication between Researchers, Community Members, and Policy Makers in the Florida Reef Tract.” Royal Road, 2020. https://doi.org/10.48497/FMET-NY86.The Florida Reef Tract (FRT) extends along the Southeastern coast of Florida and supports vast biodiversity, as well as Florida’s fishing and tourism industry. In recent years, the FRT experienced a decline in health, which can be attributed in part to anthropocentric influences. This essay argues that by strengthening communication between researchers, policy makers, and community members, FRT management schemes will become more holistic and allow the reef to recover. The model presented in this paper demonstrates how information from scientific research is used by both policy makers and the community to take action in both awareness and protection of the reef.en-USCoral reefsResearch Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES::Biology::Terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecology::Marine ecologyFlorida Reef TractFRTPublic policyArticlehttps://doi.org/10.48497/fmet-ny86