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-2017-02230 (SP-SWA)

Published Feb. 7, 2020
Expiration date: 2/28/2020

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:  Toy Arnett
                       Post Office Box 1536
                       Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459

WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with the Choctawhatchee Bay watershed. The project site is located on the west side of Walton County Road 393 South, approximately 0.30 mile south of U.S. Highway 98, Walton County, Florida.

Directions to the site are as follows: From Pensacola, travel east along U.S. Highway 98 approximately 65 miles to the intersection of Walton County Road 393 South. Turn south (right) onto Walton County Road 393 South for approximately 0.30 mile. The site is on the west side (right) side of Walton County Road 393 South.

APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES:

Latitude: 30.369281°
Longitude: -86.229722°

PROJECT PURPOSE:

Basic: Commercial Development.

Overall: Construct an outdoor farmers market in the Santa Rosa Beach area of south Walton County.

EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project site is a 9.77 acre parcel that contains both uplands (3.87 acres) and wetlands (5.9 acres). The onsite wetlands are classified as a freshwater palustrine system. The predominant wetland vegetation consists of slash pine (Pinus elliottii), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), bitter gallberry (Ilex glabra), myrtle holly (Ilex myrtifolia) and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum). According to the NRCS Soils Map, the project site is mapped with Rutledge and Leon soils types. The onsite wetlands flow to the north across U.S. Highway 98 and into a tributary of Hogtown Bayou, which is part of the Choctawhatchee Bay system. The project area is surrounded by existing development with commercial office space across the street (east), residential development immediately to the north, a public recreation park to the west and commercial development to the south.

PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to fill 2.05 acres of wetlands for the construction of an outdoor farmers market and associated 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 applicant has designed the project to locate the development on the eastern portion of the parcel to maximize usage of the existing upland area and avoid the wetlands in the center of the parcel. Potential wetland impacts have been limited to 2.05 acres, out of the 5.9 acres of wetlands onsite. The remaining 3.85 acres of wetlands would remain in their natural state. Additionally, best management practices would be implemented to avoid sedimentation and water quality degradation and would remain in place until construction is completed and all erodible materials have stabilized.

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

To offset direct and secondary impacts, the applicant proposes to purchase 1.163 federal mitigation bank credits from the Nokuse Mitigation Bank.

CULTURAL RESOURCES: The Corps has determined the activity is of such limited scope there is little likelihood of impact upon a historic property; therefore, the proposed project would have “No Potential to Cause Effect”.

ENDANGERED SPECIES: The Corps has determined the proposal would have no effect on any 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 2.05 acres of palustrine wetlands contiguous with tidal waters utilized by various life stages of black grouper, gray snapper, red drum, and penaid shrimp. 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. The jurisdictional line has not been verified by Corps personnel.

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 North Jefferson Street, Suite 301, Pensacola, Florida 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, Steve Andrews Jr., in writing at the Pensacola Permits Section, 41 North Jefferson Street, Suite 301, Pensacola, Florida 32502; by electronic mail at stephen.w.andrews@usace.army.mil; by facsimile transmission at 850-433-8160; or, by telephone at 850-439-0707.

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.