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More than
100 agency officials, developers, consultants, and environmentalists met
at Florida Gulf Coast University on August 14th
to examine the functional authorities and coordinating
responsibilities of the federal, state and local agencies that conduct
environmental permitting activities.
Hosted by the Southwest Florida Watershed Council, Estero Bay
Agency on Bay Management and FGCU,
the event was designed to provide the initiative for all parties
involved in the permitting process to start developing ways to work
together more effectively.
The
Permitting Coordination Symposium provided participants with an overview
of the specific permitting responsibilities and major concerns of agency
representatives, and then gave all parties time to identify overlaps,
gaps, constraints and opportunities for improvements in the permitting
system.
Funding and
staffing levels within the regulatory agencies responsible for issuing,
commenting on and monitoring environmental permits have not kept up with
the rapid growth of the region in recent years.
As a result, developers are frequently frustrated by the length
of time it takes to move through the permitting process, and they feel
there is unnecessary duplication of effort because the authority and
jurisdiction of regulatory agencies overlaps in many circumstances.
Environmentalists are often concerned that low staffing levels
lead to less-than-thorough reviews of permit applications and lack of
enforcement of permit
conditions. Many agency
personnel, meanwhile, feel stretched beyond their limits and believe
that the influence of politics all too often trumps the scientific data
and comprehensive land use plans that should
govern the issuance of development permits. All three groups agree that there is room for significant
improvement in the permitting process.
One
sentiment frequently expressed during the day was the feeling that there
is not a compelling public policy in place to guide growth and
development in Southwest Florida. Among
the suggestions brought forward to improve the permitting process were
the following:
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all stakeholders in the
permitting process should encourage public participation and provide
opportunities for public education and input
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funding should be
increased to allow regulatory agencies to adequately staff
permitting, compliance and enforcement functions by increasing
permit application fees, so long as the increased fees allow for
streamlined permit reviews and shortened processing times
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federal, state and local
permitting regulations should be standardized and
permitting agencies should invest in and utilize technology
to facilitate electronic submission and review of permit
applications, with a centralized data bank accessible to all
concerned, to streamline the application, review and comment
processes
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permitting agencies
should hold joint “pre-application” meetings with developers to
identify concerns before applications are actually submitted
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permitting agencies
should hold regular inter-agency meetings to discuss permit
applications
In addition
to the CHNEP and the organizations listed above, the Permitting
Coordination Symposium’s planning partners and sponsors included
Agnoli, Barber and Brundage; Audubon of Florida; Barraca &
Associates; Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium; Florida Department
of Environmental Protection; Johnson Engineering; South Florida Water
Management District; Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida
Association for Environmental Professionals; Southwest Florida Regional
Planning Council; The Bonita Bay Group; WCI Communities; Water
Enhancement & Restoration Coalition, and Wilson Miller.
The
Permitting Coordination Symposium was deemed a valuable experience by
those who attended. The
exchange of information provided everyone with an opportunity to begin
refining the permitting process so that protection of natural resources
will be enhanced, the process will be applied more consistently and the
burden on those seeking development permits will be decreased.
It was the first step in improving the permitting process in
Southwest Florida in this new millennium.
It is the hope of the
hosts, partners and sponsors that this beginning will lead to a means of
considering permitting as part of a holistic process that considers
conservation/protection, economics, and quality of life whenever actions
are taken that affect Southwest Florida’s environment.
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