Jeff Brower Elected Chair of the IRL Council

Posted On: February 12, 2024

Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower has been elected chair of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) Council, which is dedicated to developing and implementing science-based actions to restore and maintain the natural, social, and economic assets of the Indian River Lagoon.

The IRL Council includes representatives of the five counties bordering the lagoon (Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties); the St. Johns River and South Florida Water Management Districts; and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It sponsors the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program, which is part of a national network of 28 estuary programs established under the Federal Clean Water Act and administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Brower has served on the IRL Council since 2021, most recently as vice chair.

“The IRL Council is an action-oriented board whose goal is to restore and maintain the health of the lagoon,” Brower said. “We work together to improve the health of the community and economy. Our lagoon not only affects the health and the population of marine life living here, it is also the nursery from which the population of fish far offshore is established. It is an honor to have been nominated and unanimously voted to be the 2024 council chair."

The Indian River Lagoon is a diverse ecosystem that stretches approximately 156 miles along the east central Florida coast. As a natural ecosystem, it is rich in biodiversity, providing a home for over 4,400 species of plants and animals.