A report written following one year of researching the Public Records of the Broward County Department of Natural Resource Protection, Wetlands Resources Division, 1996.

The Department: A Special Report On the Activities of the BCDNRP Wetlands Resources Division

By Leigh M. Fulghum, special investigating botanist

Introduction

The Broward County Department of Natural Resource Protection Wetlands Resources Division excels in minor violations, though for its brief 8-year existence, the Department files indicate a backlog of uninstalled mitigation plans for significant impacts. The most commonly proffered excuse is that there are no suitable mitigation sites available, yet impacts in some cases have long since commenced, and in some cases the 5-year Environmental Resource License has expired with no mitigation for impacts begun.

1996

Dredge and fill activities in Broward County, require the issuance of a 5-year Environmental Resource License. The presence of wetlands doubles the license fee. In addition, another 200% is added (40% x 5 yrs) for the Wetlands Resource staff to monitor mitigation constructed for environmental impacts. Fees of up to $15,000 can be collected on a single license by the county under these terms. The total license fee including the 200% for monitoring is paid prior to issuance of the license.

The Department main files are indexed in reverse chronological order. At this point in time, only the occasional scribbled field note is found in a random assortment of the files to indicate that BCDNRP monitoring of mitigation plans is actually taking place. Many BCDNRP files contain little or no evidence that the required monitoring reports on installed mitigation are being submitted by the licensee and there is no evidence BCDNRP is visiting mitigation sites.

Why is money collected to monitor mitigation which doesn't take place and where will all the backlog of filled area be mitigated in a county that is running out of land, wet or dry?

The Department's answer to this and many other questions on subjects of botanical, ecological, and biological correctness is a blank stare and a shrug. The Department isn't sure why one citizen is threatened with $14,000.00/day fines for cutting a few mangroves while larger, more corporate concerns have been able to proceed with filling wetlands without mitigation at the time of the impact.

But on any given day of the week, visitors to the Department who linger long enough will find its workers busily engaged in a bustling roster of office birthday celebrations, co-worker visitations and personal phone calls.

BROWARD COUNTY AQUATIC AND WETLAND RESOURCES LICENSE FEE SCHEDULE

1. For Section 27-336, "General Licenses"................................................................$25.00

2. For items (3) through (7), if project contains wetlands, add 100% to license fee.

3. For section 27-334

-Maintenance dredging or projects equal to or less than 100 cubic yards of dredged or fill material.................................................................................................................$150.00

4. For Section 27-334
-Projects equal to or less than 1,000 cubic yards of dredged or fill material;
-Marina or dockage facility less than or equal to 10,000 square feet of water surface area;
-Seawalls less than or equal to 200 feet total length;
-Installation of buoys or aids to navigation;
-Installation of subaqueous transmission or distribution lines with less than 1,000 cubic
yards of dredged or fill material........................................................................$300.00

5. For Section 27-334

-Projects with 1,001-10,000 cubic yards of dredged or fill material;
-Marina or dockage facility with greater than 10,000 square feet of water surface area;
-Seawalls greater than 200 feet in total length......................................................$600.00

6. For Section 27-334

-Projects with 10,001-100,000 cubic yards of dredged or fill material ...........$1,200.00

7. For Section 27-334

-Projects with greater than 100,000 cubic yards of dredged or fill material............$2,500.00

8. For Section 27-334- "Request for License Transfer"...........................................$100.00

9. For Section 27-334-"Request for License Modification".....................................$100.00

10.For Section 27-334-"Mitigation Monitoring Fee"
the annual fee shall be.........................................................................................40%
of the initial license fee and shall be submitted prior to license issuance.
Mitigation projects in the monitoring phase that have not previously paid the fee are
subject to this fee for the remainder of their monitoring period.

11. For Section 27-334-"Wetland Jurisdictional Determinations" will be performed subsequent to the receipt of a written request accompanied by the following processing fees:

(a)For parcels less than or equal to 5 acres........................................................$25.00
(b)For parcels greater than 5 acres and less than or equal to 40 acres.................$50.00
(c)For parcels greater than 40 acres and less than or equal to 160 acres...........$100.00
(d)For parcels greater than 160 acres..............................................................$150.00

Rev.10/1/95

1996 TABLE OF BROWARD COUNTY EXPIRED 5-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSES AND/OR UNPERFORMED MITIGATION FOR IMPACTS*

* Information from BCDNRP records provided to the author by BCDNRP in September 1996

BROWARD COUNTY DNRP PERSONNEL

ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION 1-954-519-1210
Director- Steve Somerville
Deputy Director- Gary Stephens

BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES DIVISION 1-954-519-1230
Director- Eric Myers
Wetlands Resources Manager- Kathryn Cartier

Visit the BCDNRP Biological Resources Division Website

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