Outstanding Florida Waters, (OFW), are waters designated worthy of special protection because of their natural attributes. This special designation is applied to certain waters (including adjacent wetlands) and is intended to protect and maintain existing acceptable quality standards. The OFW layer is a GIS spatial dataset that represents the OFW boundaries throughout the state of Florida. This project involves adding new data to and modifying existing data within the OFW data layer for better accuracy and representation. Boundaries for Outstanding Florida Waters (OFWs) as described in Section 62-302.700, F.A.C. This layer includes all three types of OFWs: OFW Aquatic Preserves, Special OFWs, and Other OFWs.

This surface water dataset identifies significant high quality surface waters of the state, which include the following: Outstanding Florida Waters, National Scenic Waters and National Estuaries, shellfish harvesting areas, seagrass beds, springs, water supply and waters important for imperiled fish. The data are prioritized based on proximity to a water body, stream order, downstream length, basin size and other factors. For more information see the Conservation Needs Assessment Technical Report: https://www.fnai.org/conslands/florida-foreverValue 1 = Priority 1 (Highest); Value 2 = Priority 2; Value 3 = Priority 3; Value 4 = Priority 4; Value 5 = Priority 5; Value 6 = Priority 6 Value 7 = Priority 7

Aquatic Preserves are state-owned sovereign submerged lands in areas which have exceptional biological, aesthetic, and scientific value, as described in Chapter 258.39, Florida Statutes, which have been set aside for the benefit of future generations. These areas are managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection. Currently, all Aquatic Preserves are also Outstanding Florida Waters (OFWs). However, it is important to note that there are three Aquatic Preserves whose OFW boundaries differ from the Aquatic Preserve boundary. These are described more specifically in the OFW rule 62-302.700: Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach - does not include portions of Sebastian and Turkey creeks; Wekiva River - does not include portions of the St. Johns River; and Big Bend Seagrasses - the OFW rule specifies certain "incorporated and unincorporated areas" that are excluded from the Aquatic Preserve.