Nov11
Florida DEP’s new rules for Water Quality Enhancement Areas, Regional Stormwater Management Systems, and Master Stormwater Management Systems take effect November 19, 2026. Here is what changed and what ERP applicants should review now.
Oct19
Lake Jesup Wetland Mitigation in Seminole County, Florida If your project in Sanford, Oviedo, Winter Springs, Longwood, Casselberry or anywhere else in the Lake Jesup Basin will affect wetlands, you will probably need compensatory mitigation before you can get your permits. A 2025 change in Florida law made that much simpler for this basin. What Changed With SB 492 There are no mitigation banks located inside the Lake Jesup Basin (SJRWMD Basin 23). For years that meant tight options for projects there:
Sep16
EPA and Army Corps Publish Supplemental WOTUS Rulemaking Notice On September 9, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the updated definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The notice reopens comment on a handful of specific definitions from the agencies’ November 2025 proposal, while leaving the rest of that proposal unchanged. The comment period closes October 9, 2026. What’s Being Reconsidered The Supplemental Notice seeks input
Sep15
What Is an Environmental Resource Permit and Who Applies Most Nearly every construction or land development project in Florida that touches wetlands, surface waters, or stormwater systems needs an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP). New data from Sachs Media shows just how much permitting activity a handful of applicants have driven over the past two decades, and the results say a lot about who is shaping Florida’s built and natural landscape. What Is an Environmental Resource Permit An ERP is issued by the
Aug25
How to Submit a New ERP Application Through SWFWMD’s e-Permitting System On July 7, 2026, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) launched Appian, a new e-permitting system that replaces the water management information system (WMIS) for new Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) applications. Any application already in progress in WMIS will continue to be reviewed there. Every new ERP application now moves through Appian. Here is what changed and how to submit a new application under the updated system. What
Aug24
Wetland Mitigation Banking in Florida: From Regulation to Credit Sales On August 19, 2026, Victoria Bruce, CEO of The Mitigation Banking Group, joined two fellow experts at the Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals (TBAEP) August luncheon to walk through how a wetland mitigation bank comes together in Florida, from the legal framework to construction to credit sales. The Legal and Regulatory Framework Susan Roeder Martin, Esq. of Nason Yeager Gerson Harris and Fumero opened with the basics, tracing mitigation banking back
Jul02
DEP Confirms Local Governments Can Use Mitigation Bank Credits On September 10, 2025, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a memorandum clarifying a question that has come up among water management districts: whether mitigation bank credits can be used to offset wetland impacts regulated outside of the Environmental Resource Permit program, specifically under local pollution control programs. DEP’s position is clear. The use of mitigation bank credits for this purpose is allowable under Florida law. The Statutory Basis Section 373.4135(2), F.S.,
Jun30
Florida Expands Mitigation Bank Credit Use Beyond Traditional Service Areas In 2025, Florida made the most consequential updates to its wetland mitigation banking framework since the program’s inception in the 1990s. Writing in The Florida Bar Journal, Susan Roeder Martin provides a practical overview of two major changes: a new pathway for mitigation bank credits to be used outside of a bank’s traditional service area, and a standardized credit release schedule across the state. The following is a
Jun29
Wetland Mitigation Bank Credit Update On May 8, 2026, Colbert Cameron Mitigation Bank converted the assessment method from RATIO Credits to UMAM Credits. This wetland mitigation bank in Volusia County services St. Johns River Basin (Basin 18), Econlockhatchee Nested Basin (Basin 19), Lake Jesup Basin (Basin 23), and the Northern Third of the Southern St. Johns River Basin (Basin 20). This update for the Colbert Cameron Mitigation Bank, which was permitted in 1996, prior to UMAM (2005), has been grandfathered in to
Jun24
Water Quality Enhancement Areas (WQEAs) & Credit Trading: A Comprehensive Guide to Florida’s Latest Rules Florida is expanding its approach to compensatory mitigation and water quality improvement. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has finalized new rules governing Water Quality Enhancement Areas (WQEAs) and is updating existing water quality credit trading programs to align with recent legislative changes, particularly Senate Bill 1532, signed into law in 2024. For environmental consultants, mitigation bankers, and project owners, understanding the difference between these two
