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-2019-04076(SP-MMT)

Published June 2, 2020
Expiration date: 6/12/2020

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: Florida Department of Transportation, District 4

                            Attn: Hui Shi  

                            3400 West Commercial Blvd.  

                             Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309

 

WATERWAY AND LOCATION:  The project would affect waters of the United States associated with non-wetland jurisdictional surface waters.  The project site is located at St. Lucie West Boulevard Interchange.

 

Directions to the site are as follows:  Take I-95 N, take exit 121 for St. Lucie West Boulevard.

 

APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES:          Latitude    27.31132°

                                                                               Longitude  -80.41392°

 

PROJECT PURPOSE:

 

Basic:  Linear transportation.

 

Overall:  The overall purpose of the project is to provide operational efficiency at the St. Lucie West Boulevard interchange at SR-9/ I-95, St. Lucie County, Florida.

 

Interchange to connect with the existing four lane section east of I-95 and provide direct access to and from the northbound and southbound I-95 ramps.

 

 

EXISTING CONDITIONS:  Direct impacts to jurisdictional wetlands are not proposed as a part of this project. OSW were observed during the field review in the infield storm water/drainage ponds and swales located in each quadrant of the St. Lucie West Boulevard and I-95 interchange. The OSW- Swales/ Ditches system consist of a Freshwater Herbaceous system.  The onsite vegetation consists of torpedo grass, water hyssop (Bacopa monnieri), tropical flats edge, large leaf pennywort, Baldwin’s spike rush, and spreading beaks edge. Wetter portions of the swale contained pickerelweed and knotted spike rush (Eleocharis interstincta), while dryer portions of the swale were dominated by bahia grass. The dryer portions of the swales are mowed.  The existing area surrounding the project area consists of is predominately residential, including fixed single family units (FLUCFCS Codes 121 and 131) and low-rise multiple dwelling units (FLUCFCS Code 133). The areas to the east of I-95 along St. Lucie West Boulevard primarily consist of commercial and services (FLUCFCS Code 140).

To the west of I-95 is the PGA Golf Course (FLUCFCS Code 182), which also contains low-rise multiple dwelling units. Reservoirs (FLUCFCS Code 530) are located within each quadrant of the interchange. These are classified as freshwater ponds in the NWI. Other land uses within the 500-foot buffer include: educational

facilities (FLUCFCS Code 171), open land (FLUCFCS Code 190), upland shrub and brush land (FLUCFCS Code 320), pine flatwoods (FLUCFCS Code 411), mixed shrubs (FLUCFCS Code 617), and freshwater marshes/graminoid prairie-marsh (FLUCFCS Code 641). An electrical power transmission line (FLUCFCS Code 832) runs through the project area west of the I-95 corridor.

 

PROPOSED WORK:  FDOT is proposing improvements to St. Lucie West Boulevard interchange at SR-9/ I-95, St. Lucie County, Florida. The proposed improvements consist of milling and resurfacing, and widening of roadway to accommodate three eastbound lanes and two westbound lanes across the bridge over I-95, widening the southbound off ramp intersection to provide two left turn lanes and one right turn lane, widening the northbound off ramp to provide two left turn lanes and three right turn lanes and modifying the northbound on ramp entrance. The applicant seeks authorization to fill 0.58 acres of jurisdictional upland cut swales (roadside drainage swales) in the southeast quadrat of the I-95/St. Lucie West Boulevard. Although the swales did not meet the USACE criteria to be classified as wetlands, they exhibit wetland characteristics, including areas with standing water and emergent wetland vegetation, and can be used as foraging areas by the federally listed wood stork and other wading birds

 

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:

 

Natural Resources Evaluation Report prepared for this project was utilized to design the project to avoid and minimize impacts to the greatest extent practicable.

 

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

 

The 0.58 acres of direct impacts to surface waters located in the southeast side of the

Interchange that may provide suitable foraging habitat for wood storks will be

mitigated using 0.492 credits at Blue Field Ranch mitigation bank.

 

CULTURAL RESOURCES: 

 

               The FDOT has been delegated NEPA authority to consult on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.  FDOT 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 FDOT, the State Historic Preservation Officer and those federally recognized tribes with concerns in Florida and the Permit Area.

 

ENDANGERED SPECIES: 

 

           FDOT has been delegated NEPA authority to consult on Section 7 of the ESA with USFWS for this project. FDOT has determined the proposed project may affect but is not likely to adversely affect suitable foraging habitat for wood storks. In addition FDOT has also determined the proposal may affect but is not likely to adversely affect the Eastern Indigo Snake or its designated critical habitat.   FDOT requested U.S. Fish and Wildlife concurrence with these determinations pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided concurrence with the determinations above in letter Log No. 04EF2000-2020-I-0034 dated October 15, 2019.   

 

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 Mark M. Tamblyn, US Army Corps of Engineers, Panama City Permits Section, 4400 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410, within 15 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, Mark M. Tamblyn in writing at the Us Army Corps of Engineers, Panama City Permits Section, 4400 PGA BLVD. Suite 500 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410; by electronic mail at mark.m.tamblyn@usace.army.mil; by telephone at (561) 472-3519

 

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.