By Jean Sealey
Northeast Florida Builders Association
Members of the Northeast Florida Builders Association traveled to Washington, D.C. recently to meet with the Army Corps of Engineers, legislators and representatives from the Florida Home Builders Association concerning the expansion of the statewide programmatic general permit (SPGP) for use throughout the state.
A who’s who of local builders and developers presented the case for implementing short-term reforms pending ultimate approval of the expanded SPGP, including NEFBA Vice President Jerry Linder and NEFBA members Mitch Montgomery, J.D. Collins, Sandy Semanik, Chester Stokes, Denise Wallace and Rhodes Robinson.
The group met with Rep. Ander Crenshaw of Jacksonville and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) John Paul Woodley Jr. to advance recommendations for reform.
Congress has appropriated a $16.16 million increase over last year to administer laws pertaining to activities affecting U.S. waterways, including wetlands.
Crenshaw says he has worked hard to ensure a substantial portion of the funds is directed to the Jacksonville office.
“Streamlining the process will help relieve government redundancy and make the process more efficient and effective for all,” Crenshaw said.
Earlier this month, Woodley announced that the Army Corps of Engineers will implement the uniform wetlands mitigation assessment method, currently in effect in Florida beginning August 1. This means seamless mitigation analyses at the federal, state and local levels.
Woodley also said a Regional General Permit will likely go into effect by Aug. 1, and the regulatory streamlining for the Northwest Florida region could be implemented as early as Aug. 1.
A State Programmatic General Permit is being drafted for docks and also may be implemented by Aug. 1. This step will reduce the Army Corps of Engineer’s workload statewide by 25 percent.
Crenshaw’s office announced, for the first time in many years, substantial new monies will be diverted to the Corps in Florida to alleviate workloads.
All construction-related businesses will benefit from a streamlined process, said Chester Stokes, chair of NEFBA’s Industry Issues Committee. Stokes noted that if developers aren’t developing land and builders aren’t building homes, other construction trades and suppliers are not working either.
“Getting this kind of action so quickly is a great example of what NEFBA’s Industry Issues Committee is all about,” Stokes said. “The Industry Issues Fund helps all NEFBA members and warrants our support. We did not let this issue die and we stayed on top of it until we got some relief.”
The short-term reforms proposed by the NEFBA contingent are designed to reduce the workload of the Army Corps of Engineers and eliminate unnecessary delays in the permitting process.