The Department of Funny Business has been approved in Florida.
Florida environmental officials approve Clay County land-bank project criticized by agency expert, others as overvalued
Florida environmental officials have approved a controversial "land bank" business, which would generate profits by replacing wetlands paved over by developers, even though one of their own experts warned earlier this year that the project's environmental value was inflated and could lead to a net loss of wetlands statewide.
The Florida Department of Environmental Project signed off Friday on a request by backers of the Highlands Ranch Mitigation Bank in Clay County to increase the property's potential value to nearly double what other state officials and a state judge had previously determined it to be worth.
Agency officials said their decision was justified because they consider Highlands Ranch a pilot project that has helped them clarify certain wetlands rules. They said the project would be subject to standards more stringent than those ordinarily applied to such mitigation banks; also, according to DEP documents, its revenue would be based on verified environmental restoration on the property, rather than written restoration milestones, as has often been the case with wetlands-mitigation projects in the past.
"They are going to have to show us the ecological result instead of just doing a list of activities," said Tim Rach, DEP's bureau chief for submerged lands and environmental resources. For example, "We're going to be looking at the height of trees, and we are going to be looking at the number of trees and the stage and development of the trees."
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-08-20/news/os-highlands-ranch-land-bank-permit-20120820_1_mitigation-banks-top-wetlands-experts-dep-officials
= new reply since forum marked as read