Public Notice Notifications

The Jacksonville District currently has five categories of public notice notification mailing lists. If you wish to receive email notifications when new public notices are added to this page, please send a request to Regulatory Webmaster.  Each category is described below. Be sure to specify which list(s) you want to be included on.

Florida - This includes all public notices for projects being reviewed for Standard Permits within the State of Florida.

Antilles - This includes all public notices for projects being reviewed for Standard Permits within the Antilles area (this includes Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands).

Tropical Storms & Other Emergencies - These public notices provide information on procedures for emergency permitting requirements due to specific tropical storm events or other emergency situations.

Special Issues - These are public notices that involve the Regulatory program but which are generally not limited to one particular geographic area. These would include public notices for the establishment or modification of Restricted Areas/Danger Zones, re-issuance of General Permits or Nationwide Permits, changes to guidance and policies, etc.

Administrative Penalty - These public notices provide information associated with Administrative Penalties. An Administrative Penalty can be assessed to address violations associated with issued Department of the Army permits.

SAJ-2004-06498 (SP-EPS)

Published Feb. 8, 2019
Expiration date: 2/28/2019

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:  The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received an application for a Department of the Army permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344) as described below:

APPLICANT:  The St Joe Company

                        c/o Bridget Precise

                       133 S. WaterSound Pkwy

                        Watersound, FL 32461

WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with unnamed wetlands hydrologically connected through roadside ditches associated with Highway 98, to wetlands within Hydrologic Unit Code 12 – Eastern Lake-Phillips Inlet Frontal (HUC-031401011004).  The project site is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Highway 98 and Watersound Pkwy in Sections 15, 22, 23, 25, and 27, Township 3 South, Range 18 West, Watersound Beach, Walton County, Florida.

Directions to the site are as follows:  From Pensacola, travel east on U.S Highway 98 approximately 75 miles on U.S. Highway 98 to Watersound Pkwy in Watersound.  Turn southwest (right) on Watersound Pkwy.  The project site is located northwest of the corner of HWY 98 and Watersound pkwy.

APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES:   

Latitude 30.2977581°

Longitude -86.0291743°

PROJECT PURPOSE:

Basic: Residential Development.

Overall:  Construct an upscale single-family residential development to accommodate demand for this housing type in southeastern Walton County.

EXISTING CONDITIONS:  To the north and south of the project site, the current land use includes commercial silviculture plantation lands.  To the west of the project site is the existing Camp Creek Golf Course and Watersound Pkwy.  US Highway 98 bounds the northeastern edge of the site.

The onsite wetland systems consist of hydric pine plantations, mixed forested wetlands and hydric pine savannah.  The wetland areas with a short enough hydroperiod have been planted through with slash pine (Pinus ellottii).  The understory vegetation is dependent on the stage of the planting and clearing.  Common hydrophytic understory vegetation includes: myrtle leaf holly (Ilex mytrifolia), sweet gallberry (Ilex coriacea) and titi (Cyrilla racemiflora and Cliftonia monophylla).  The majority of the wetlands onsite fall into the mixed forested wetland classification with a canopy dominated by cypress (Taxodium spp.), gum (Nyssa spp.), slash pine and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris).  Dominant understory species vary depending on the watertable and elevation.  Species include sweet pepper bush (Clethra alnifolia), myrtle leaf holly, sweet gallberry, and titi.  The hydric pine savannah is found within the transitional area between the mixed forested wetland community and upland areas.  Many of these areas have also been planted with pine, some at lower densities, and with varying amounts of native vegetation remaining.  The vegetation here includes those listed above as well as ground cover that includes wiregrass (Aristida spp.), pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.), sundews (Drosera spp.), Helianthus spp. and other hydrophytic forbs and graminoids.

The project site lies in a broad, nearly level landscape and slopes gently in elevation at the northern end of the project along Highway 98 to the southern end along Watersound Pkwy according to the USGS topo map.  Soil types found within the proposed site include Foxworth, Rutlege, Leon, and Hurricane sands, and Pamlico muck.  The site is a mix of uplands and wetlands with the Leon and Hurricane sands supporting the majority of the upland habitats, and Pamlico muck and Rutledge sand found primarily in the wetland habitats. The roadside ditches on Hwy 98 and culvert crossings on Hwy 98 and Watersound Parkway maintain the hydrologic connection from onsite wetlands to offsite tidal waters.

PROPOSED WORK:  The applicant seeks authorization to discharge fill material into a total of 9.22 acres of Corps-jurisdictional wetlands in order to create a 280-lot subdivision including all necessary roadways, utilities, stormwater management, and other infrastructure.

AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION INFORMATION – The applicant has provided the following information in support of efforts to avoid and/or minimize impacts to the aquatic environment:

The project site is approximately 330.8 acres, 129.21 acres of which are jurisdictional wetlands.  The project would impact 9.22 acres of wetlands, approximately 7% of the wetlands onsite. The site plan is a revision of a previously permitted development.  The previously permitted project was a golf course and residential community impacting 13.53 acres of jurisdictional wetlands.  The change to a strictly residential community from a golf course community has decreased the wetlands impacts 4.3 acres.  The applicant proposes to only impact wetlands for roadway, infrastructure, and minimal lot fill to create appropriate-sized lots for the development. Any lots that would require 100% wetland fill were eliminated.  The remaining 93% of jurisdictional wetlands onsite, approximately 120 acres, will be placed in a conservation easement to ensure no additional wetland impacts onsite.  Erosion control measures will be taken during construction to ensure no secondary impacts to remaining wetlands.

COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – The applicant has offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable functional loss to the aquatic environment:

The applicant proposes to place a conservation easement over the remaining 119.99 acres of jurisdictional wetlands onsite and withdraw 5.02 Credits from the Devil’s Swamp Mitigation Bank.

CULTURAL RESOURCES: 

The Corps is not aware of any known historic properties within the permit area.  By copy of this public notice, the Corps is providing information for review.  Our final determination relative to historic resource impacts is subject to review by and coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer and those federally recognized tribes with concerns in Florida and the Permit Area.

ENDANGERED SPECIES: 

The Corps has determined the proposal may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect the eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi).  The Corps has determined the proposal would have no effect on any other listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat. 

ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH):  This notice initiates consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service on EFH as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1996.  The proposal would impact approximately 9.22 acres of forested wetlands adjacent to tidal waters utilized by various life stages of shrimp, reef fish, red drum, and coastal migratory/pelagic fish.  Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or Federally-managed fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.  Our final determination relative to project impacts and the need for mitigation measures is subject to review by and coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

NOTE:  This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant.  This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program.  However, the jurisdictional line was verified by Corps personnel on April 27, 2017.

AUTHORIZATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES:  Water Quality Certification may be required from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and/or one of the state Water Management Districts.

COMMENTS regarding the potential authorization of the work proposed should be submitted in writing to the attention of the District Engineer through the Pensacola Permits Section, 41 N. Jefferson Street, Pensacola, FL 32502 within 21 days from the date of this notice.

The decision whether to issue or deny this permit application will be based on the information received from this public notice and the evaluation of the probable impact to the associated wetlands.  This is based on an analysis of the applicant's avoidance and minimization efforts for the project, as well as the compensatory mitigation proposed.

QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Ed Sarfert, in writing at the Pensacola Permits Section, 41 N. Jefferson Street, Pensacola, FL 32502; by electronic mail at edward.p.sarfert@usace.army.mil; by facsimile transmission at (850)433-8160; or, by telephone at (850)439-9533. 

IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: Coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and concerned citizens generally yields pertinent environmental information that is instrumental in determining the impact the proposed action will have on the natural resources of the area.

EVALUATION: The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including cumulative impacts thereof; among these are conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food, and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and in general, the needs and welfare of the people. Evaluation of the impact of the activity on the public interest will also include application of the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, EPA, under authority of Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act or the criteria established under authority of Section 102(a) of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.  A permit will be granted unless its issuance is found to be contrary to the public interest.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other Interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps to determine whether to issue, modify, condition, or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this determination, comments are used to assess impacts to endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.

COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT CONSISTENCY: In Florida, the State approval constitutes compliance with the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan.  In Puerto Rico, a Coastal Zone Management Consistency Concurrence is required from the Puerto Rico Planning Board.  In the Virgin Islands, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources permit constitutes compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Plan.

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Any person may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the designated comment period of the notice and must state the specific reasons for requesting the public hearing.