Florida Legislature 2005 (click for ongoing coverage)

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Effect of wetlands bill being debated

By DAN DeWITT and CRAIG PITTMAN
Published May 6, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - A bill that critics say could make it easier for developers to destroy wetlands passed the Legislature Thursday.

The bill would shift oversight of wetlands smaller than 10 acres from the federal government to the state. But the federal government would have to agree, and it is unclear that will happen.

The state defines wetlands differently from the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency responsible for protecting wetlands.

"The federal definition of what's included is greater than the state's," said Col. Robert Carpenter, who commands the Corps of Engineers in Florida.

That means stricter enforcement than the state would provide.

Senate sponsor Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, said environmentalists and the corps are overstating the bill's potential harm. The bill merely speeds the process, she said.

Both the state and the corps review developments affecting wetlands smaller than 10 acres. "It's an extra layer that is taking a long time," Dockery said.

About 97 percent of the time, the state and federal agencies agree on when wetlands merit protection, said Colleen Castille, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection. The bill also would extend a pollution control exemption in the Panhandle.

The Northwest Florida Water Management District does not have the power to issue permits to control flooding and runoff like other districts in the state.

That worries environmentalists. But a technical problem with the bill might mean the exemption lasts only one year rather than five as intended, said Eric Draper, policy director of Audubon of Florida.

[Last modified May 6, 2005, 00:37:10]