The East Florida Shelf - Princeton Ocean Model (EFS-POM) is implemented as part of the Southeast Atlantic - Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEA-COOS) program. With a high-resolution of ca. 2-6km horizontally and 25 terrain-following levels, the model is used to study the variability of the Florida Current under synoptic atmospheric forcing for periods of several years. Sea surface temperatures and coastal sea levels are compared with observations from moored buoys and tide gauges. EFS-POM also serves as a source for open boundary conditions to drive a nested model of the Dry Tortugas domain. With horizontal resolutions of less than 1km, this local model is aimed at predicting the influence of physical variables such as temperature, salinity and turbulence on coral reef communities. In addition to the Eulerian fields, a Lagrangian approach is used to investigate transient circulation patterns and provide some insight about possible pathways and rates for larval dispersion and recruitment at both local and regional scales.