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Environmental Resource Permits

Rule Development Background

House Bill 7163, (Chapter 2006-228, Laws of Florida), effective July 1, 2006, brought Florida’s Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) program to the Panhandle.  The District and the Department of Environmental Protection are jointly developing Chapter 62-346, F.A.C., the new Northwest ERP rule.  Stormwater permitting under ERP is scheduled to be implemented in the fall of 2007, with the wetlands portion of the rule (Phase II) to be developed and implemented no sooner than January 2008.

Under the proposed activity split with the Department, Environmental Resource (or stormwater) permits with no wetland impacts will be processed by the District, and those involving wetlands or sovereign submerged lands will be processed by DEP.  Until Phase II, dredge and fill activities will be regulated under the existing DEP rule 62-312, F.A.C. The rules propose that applications begun with the Department of Environmental Protection will stay with the Department when the District implements its program, if the application has been deemed “complete” by the DEP. 

The Department of Environmental Protection held a public Rule Adoption Hearing April 4, 2007. Comments on the Hearing Draft may be submitted until 5:00 PM, Eastern time, April 16, 2007. Comments should be directed to Doug Fry at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Bob Martinez Building, MS 2500, 2600 Blair Stone Rd, Tallahassee FL 32399. Several ammendments were incorporated into the rule draft at the public hearing. For copies of these amendments, please contact Doug Fry at the above address.

The current draft of the ERP rule, Chapter 62-346, F.A.C., as well as all of the DEP rules currently proposed for revision in conjunction with the adoption of the ERP rule, can be found on the Department of Environmental Protection’s web site. 

Program Status

Updates on the implementation the ERP permitting program will continue to be posted on the District’s web site, so please check back frequently. The anticipated implementation date for receiving permit applications is October 1, 2007.

A training tutorial for submittal of stormwater permit applications online will be available in July.  This tutorial will provide applicants all of the information needed to complete applications on the District’s web site, attach site plans and other necessary documents, and submit them, as well as pay permit application fees online.  Additionally, the tutorial will explain the Exemption Self Certification questionnaire, which will allow an individual to answer a series of questions on our web site, submit them, and instantly get a response as to whether their activity requires a stormwater permit from the District or is exempt from the stormwater permitting requirements.  If you would like to receive a copy of the tutorial, please send your contact information, including mailing address, to Angela Cassidy at Angela.Cassidy@nwfwmd.state.fl.us.    

If you have questions concerning any of the programs identified here, or permit requirements for any activity you plan to undertake, please write, call, or visit the Bureau of Environmental Resource Regulation:

District Headquarters Office
75 Water Management Drive
Havana, Florida 32333
Telephone (850) 539-5999
Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
(Office is located on U.S. Highway 90, approximately 10 miles west of Tallahassee, Florida)

For more information about Environmental Resource Permitting, email Angela.Cassidy@nwfwmd.state.fl.us or call Angela Cassidy at (850) 539-5999.