Crestview Field Office Has Relocated

As of March 5, 2013, the Crestview Field Office has relocated to:

180 E. Redstone Avenue
Crestview, FL 32539

All telephone numbers will remain the same:
Phone: (850) 683-5044
Fax: (850) 683-5050

The field office's new location is just one block north of the current location, is in a medical office complex.  The District’s office is the northernmost of the three buildings there. 

Tallahassee Field Office Has Relocated

On of October 25, 2012, the Tallahassee Field Office's address changed to:

Northwest Florida Water Management District (Tallahassee Field Office)
Carr Building, Suite 225
3800 Commonwealth Blvd., MS LS225
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Phone: (850) 921-2986 (all staff phone numbers are the same).

Permittees may still drop off applications in person. However, visitors will need to sign in at the Security Desk. Please let the front desk attendant know which staff member you are here to see, and they will call District staff to meet you in the lobby and escort you to our suite.

Driving directions: Take Interstate-10 to Exit 196 South. Turn east on Commonwealth Boulevard and north on Commonwealth Lane. The Carr Building is on your left (next to the tall, copper-colored Florida Department of Environmental Protection building).

Statewide Environmental Resource Permitting

On April 14, 2012, Governor Rick Scott signed legislation granting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection the authority to create one statewide rule for the ERP program.

Currently, between DEP and Florida's five water management districts, at least five different versions of the ERP rules are in place statewide. DEP is working with the water management districts, local governments, citizens and businesses throughout the development of the statewide rule. The NWFWMD, along with the other water management districts, are heavily engaged in this process.

Reducing the number and complexity of the rules will make it easier for everyone to understand and apply what is expected of them during the ERP regulatory process, and will improve predictability and consistency in permitting decisions.

Visit the DEP website at http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/swerp/index.htm to learn more about the statewide ERP rulemaking process.

General Permits for Small Projects, also known as "10/2"

The DEP rule for projects with less than two acres of impervious surface and less than 10 acres in project size, not on State lands or waters and with no wetlands impacts, went into effect on July 1, 2012. The provisions of Chapter 62-330, F.A.C. allow notices to be provided to the Department (DEP) within 30 days of construction commencement. The DEP has created an electronic noticing portal at http://www.fldepportal.com/go . The District receives copies of the notices for projects within its 16 counties. If you are unsure whether your project qualifies for the 10/2 General Permit, contact any of our reviewers to discuss your project.

Applications for Military Installations Now Go to DEP

Applications for projects on military bases in northwest Florida will now be reviewed by the Department of Environmental Protection. These include Pensacola Naval Air Station, Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, and Panama City NSA.

Features on the E-Permitting Tab Above

New Document Search – Visitors to the District’s ERP page will be able to navigate directly to the document search application without having to create an Electronic Permitting user account.  Users can reach the document search page by using the green navigation bar at the top of the page, selecting “electronic permitting,” and then moving down the new menu and selecting “ERP Document Search.”  Once there you may view all documents that have been submitted by the applicant and those that have been generated by the District for almost any application or permit in the ERP program.

Locating Latitudinal and Longitudinal Coordinates – Applicants using the E-permitting application can now identify and download the GPS coordinates for their project by simply clicking on a map.

Additional exemptions available in the Exemption Self-Certification (Self-Cert) Module – The District has expanded the Self-Cert module to include 9 additional statutory exemptions.  Remember, there is no application fee when using the Exemption Self-Certification process.

Public Notification of Applications Received -  The on-line Notice of Receipt web page is designed to provide a central location where visitors to our website can see the applications for ERP permits received by the District.  Visitors can access this page by using the navigation bar at the top of the page and selecting “E-permitting.”  In the new drop down window, select “Notice of Receipt” to be directed to the new page. 

On-line Submittal of Regulatory Complaints

Residents of the panhandle can now submit information concerning activities in their area 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by using the District on-line complaint submission process.   Submit a complaint

New ERP Brochure

A new full Environmental Resource Permitting Brochure is available for download on the Resources page.  The brochure provides general information about the new aspects of Full ERP and the operating agreement.

Operating Agreement Flow Chart

Not sure where to send your application?  The District has developed a flow chart designed to help applicants determine which agency is responsible for the review of their requests for authorizations.  Users will navigate the flow chart by answering questions about their project.  Future versions will include an interactive module.

Click here to try it out

The Northwest Florida Water Management District’s Environmental Resource Permitting Program is administered out of two offices: one located in Tallahassee and one located in Crestview.  Both offices have been open and operational since the program became effective on October 1, 2007.  A map showing the locations of the District offices and the counties each office generally serve can be found by clicking here.  However, either office can serve a project located in any of the 16 counties of northwest Florida.

Each ERP office is staffed by stormwater engineers, environmental scientists/biologists, field inspectors, and administrative professionals.  The District’s Employment Opportunities web page has information about any vacant positions. Please visit our employment page at http://www.nwfwmd.state.fl.us/employment.html, or contact our human resources department via email at human.resources@nwfwmd.state.fl.us.

In the early 1990’s, the Department of Environmental Protection and the other four water management districts began the process of implementing the Environmental Resource permitting program throughout the northeast, central and peninsular counties of Florida.  It wasn’t until House Bill 7163, (Chapter 2006-228, Laws of Florida), effective July 1, 2006, that authority was given to the Northwest Florida Water Management District and the Department of Environmental Protection to develop the Environmental Resource Permitting Rules for Northwest Florida.  The adoption of the ERP stormwater rules in October of 2007, brought the first part of Florida’s Environmental Resource Permit program to the Panhandle.  The subsequent adoption of the full Rule in November of 2010, which included the regulation of activities in, on or over wetlands and other surface water finalize the Panhandles transition. 

Regulatory authority for the program is split between the DEP and the District and is defined in the operating agreement found in Appendix A of the Applicant’s Handbook Volume I.