) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites..
Endangered Kemp's Ridley turtle hatchlings making their way to the ocean at dawn on Padre Island, TX. (Image credit: National Park Service)
The Southeast Section is co-located with the Southeast Region of the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in St. Petersburg, Florida. The office provides legal advice and assistance on issues related to the administration of NOAA programs in the eight coastal states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, the inland states of Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The office has seven attorneys, one paralegal, and one program specialist. The Section Chief is B. Michael McLemore. The Deputy Section Chief is Monica Smit-Brunello.