U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to host final 2014 Regulatory Open House events in Florida

Published July 24, 2014

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District will host its three final Regulatory Open House events in Florida next week. The events will be held Mon., July 28 at the Marriott Jacksonville, 4670 Salisbury Road, Jacksonville, Florida; Wed., July 30 at the Bay Point Wyndham, 4114 Jan Cooley Drive, Panama City Beach, Florida and Fri., Aug. 1 at the Orlando Airport Marriott, 7499 Augusta National Drive, Orlando, Florida.  Doors open at 8 a.m. and a series of presentations begins at 8:30 a.m. The events are free and open to the public.

“We have been working hard to streamline and improve our processes since the last time we did a similar Open House series four years ago,” said Donnie Kinard, chief of the Regulatory Division. “With these final three events in Florida next week, we have covered the state, from the Panhandle to the Keys. It has been a pleasure to meet with and hear from many attendees who report they have found the presentations to be informative and the opportunity to interact with our project managers most beneficial.”   

The theme for the 2014 Open House series is “Strategies for Success,” focusing on the latest information concerning mitigation, endangered species, indirect effects and alternatives analysis.  A presentation will also be included relative to specific issues in each host city. Events conducted earlier this summer took place in Sarasota, Duck Key and Fort Lauderdale.

“Jacksonville District’s regulatory program is the largest in the nation,” explained Kinard. “In the past, our outreach initiatives such as the Open House have helped us to better inform current and potential permit applicants, consultants and stakeholders. As a result, we receive more thorough and accurate permit applications, have more productive pre-application meetings and reach better decisions that achieve our goal of balancing development needs with protecting the aquatic environment.”    

Two remaining Open House events are scheduled in San Juan, Puerto Rico August 7 and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Sept. 3. Further details are available at www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory.aspx, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jacksonvilledistrict and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaxStrong. Corps representatives will also interact with the public on Twitter during each event, using #UOH14.  

# # #


Contact
Nancy J. sticht
904-232-1667
nancy.j.sticht@usace.army.mil

Release no. 14-040