40th Environmental Permitting Summer School

Practical and informative course designed to address strategies for obtaining environmental, cultural resources and land use approvals for land development projects under Florida’s current laws and agency practices; consideration of effects of recent legislation and administrative actions taken by the Executive Branch; discussion of “live local”; discussion of successful approaches to processing and obtaining environmental  permits from regulatory agencies, determinations of when to obtain the required permits and in what order, and the level of specificity and procedural requirements of each agency. Course to also cover tracking and managing activities for compliance with permit conditions, tips for gaining the respect of regulatory agencies, and steps that should be taken to avoid costly enforcement litigation. Audience participation is encouraged.

Florida’s new stormwater rule does more than increase nutrient treatment requirements. It also creates a performance-based framework for meeting those requirements through onsite treatment, offsite compensating treatment, and regional treatment mechanisms. In practice, each project carries a measurable nutrient reduction obligation, while tools such as Water Quality Enhancement Areas (WQEAs) and Regional Stormwater Management Systems (RSMS) may provide credits or allocations to help satisfy that obligation within the applicable regulatory constraints. This panel of experts will examine the emerging “cap-and-trade” framework for stormwater nutrient management under the ERP program, including the respective roles of WQEAs and RSMS as sources of enhancement credits or pollutant reduction allocations. Panelists will discuss the statutory and regulatory framework, pending rule development, credit and allocation concepts, receiving-water limitations, and practical considerations for engineers, attorneys, consultants, regulators, local governments, and regulated entities evaluating these tools in project planning and permitting. This course is designed for extensive audience participation, so be sure to bring your questions!

This extremely popular panel of agency staff and experts is back to discuss the latest developments regarding the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), including priority projects, obstacles, funding and how these projects may affect various stakeholders. The panel will focus on emerging issues including ecological benefits of CERP, status of funding, timelines for key projects, Lake Okeechobee and more. The panel represents a diverse cross-section of government, tribal governments, environmental and agricultural interests. The panel will be run as a round-table discussion with each speaker presenting their unique perspective regarding CERP projects across south Florida. There will be plenty of opportunity for audience engagement. Do not miss this updated and exciting panel.

Discussion of integrating regional water supply plans of local government with the plans and projects of water utilities through a prescribed planning process requiring cooperation between water management districts and local and regional water management districts and local and regional water utilities; regulatory incentives for the development of alternative water supplies; financial assistance for utilities; linking the growth management plans of local governments with the plans and projects of water utilities; applying the principles of consistency with concurrency as set forth in Florida law and implementing rules. Audience participation is encouraged.