40th Environmental Permitting Summer School

This panel will explore key strategies for environmental assessments during all phases of real estate acquisition and development, including due diligence, contract negotiation, pre-acquisition planning, and post-closing compliance. Speakers will discuss real life examples to illustrate best practices for site assessment, regulatory compliance, and environmental risk management in today’s development landscape.

The continued population growth in our State has triggered substantial challenges regarding land use, availability of water (quantity and quality), and clean, developable land with ready infrastructure. As part of an urban infill approach to preserve green lands, some of the alternatives to accommodate population growth are closed golf courses and available former agricultural land located near urban areas. However, these options present a unique set of challenges ranging from soil and groundwater contamination on and off property boundaries to comp plans changes, to administrative challenges by affected parties to land development. Another challenge is achieving environmental closure on contamination using Institutional Controls. Even in the face of these seemingly difficult challenges, opportunities to redevelop golf courses and former ag land exist. How can some of these issues be resolved? What does it take to achieve land development that is environmentally sustainable and protective of human health? The class is designed so the audience can learn to navigate the process and how some of these challenges are currently being met. The round table forum allows for plenty of audience participation and feedback.

Extremely timely and informative course will “cover the bases” from NEPA to permitting; critical environmental issues including ESA protected marine species and essential fish habitat, corals, sea turtles, and marine mammals; use of UMAM and HEA for determining mitigation requests; examples of lessons learned in dealing with and applying federal and state requirements to seaports, beach renourishment, and coastal development; discussion of emerging issues. Audience participation is encouraged!

Course updated for 2025! The panel of experts will provide an in-depth examination of watershed management as a means of comprehensively integrating a variety of planning and regulatory programs currently implemented by FDEP and the water management districts, including TMDLs, MS4s, NPDES, PLRGs, Water Quality Credit Trading, and both structural and non-structural floodplain planning and management. The discussion will also touch on the emerging role of Urban Forest Management Plans (UFMPs) as a component of green infrastructure in municipal watershed strategies. The panel will discuss practical considerations and any changes to current agency practices. Audience participation is encouraged, so bring your questions!

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.

Transportation and utility infrastructure in Florida continues to evolve on multiple fronts as technology, travel patterns, and resiliency planning influence how our infrastructure is designed, funded, and utilized. This panel gathers engineers, economic specialists, and planners to discuss how their work is evolving in the face of these changes.

This course presents legal and practical strategies for site remediation in a variety of scenarios. Case studies will focus on creative solutions, regulatory flexibilities, and innovative technologies used to achieve site closures. A must-attend, timely, and informative course designed for active audience participation.