Defending Florida’s Forgotten Coast
It flows downriver.
The Wakulla River emerges from the world’s largest freshwater spring, Wakulla Spring, giving life to wildlife sanctuaries and commercial fisheries.
As pollution seeps into North Florida’s groundwater, it flows south to the waterways, wells, and fisheries that support our economy and way of life. When corporate polluters threaten our waters, we fight back and win.
The Downriver Project is a nonprofit run entirely by volunteers. We unite fishermen, hunters, oyster farmers, faith leaders, and homeowners to defend the waters that all of us depend on.
Featured Victory
SunStop wanted to store thousands of gallons of fuel on the underground river that delivers water to Wakulla Springs. Photo: David Moynahan
Before we took on an oil drilling proposal in the Apalachicola River Basin, we kept a different out-of-state oil company from threatening a legendary Florida waterway.
For two years, SunStop Oil lobbied to build a 16-pump mega gas station on the Wakulla Springs cave—an underground river that feeds the largest freshwater spring on Earth. By August 2023, the Wakulla County Commission was fully prepared to advance SunStop's plan at an afternoon meeting.
In response, Downriver volunteers worked to organize a record turnout of 400 anglers, hunters, oyster farmers, and outdoorsmen. Amid a historic 119-degree heat advisory, hundreds were told to stand outside in a sweltering parking lot. They refused to leave. These committed citizens forced the commissioners to suspend the vote, and a wave of statewide media coverage followed.
As public awareness grew, we collaborated with lawmakers and other nonprofits to form a new plan that would permanently protect the Wakulla Springs Cave, creating a 230-acre conservation corridor and nature park. Rep. Jason Shoaf and Sen. Corey Simon skillfully carried this proposal through the Florida Legislature, and Governor Ron DeSantis signed off in July 2024.
Since 2021, the Downriver Project has stopped four dangerous projects, all worth millions to their backers. Click below to learn more.
A Legacy to Uphold
Pictured in 1960, Spring Creek maintains a proud crabbing culture and is home to a spring whose waters flow from as far north as Georgia.
The Forgotten Coast has a proud fishing and hunting tradition. That’s something worth defending.
In five years, we have beaten four separate attempts to pollute local waterways. Most recently, we were a founding member of the Kill the Drill Coalition, which kept a reckless Louisiana oil company from drilling in the Apalachicola River Basin.