When you’re preparing for a new marine construction project in the state of Florida you have to keep the permitting process and the different approvals you will be required to obtain in the front of your mind. No construction project can begin without the necessary permits and approvals, unless of course you’re skipping this process which is not recommended since doing this can end up being extremely costly in the end. Permits are set in place to ensure that projects are being built up to Florida Code in order to protect everyone involved and in the world of marine construction, approvals from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps are required on top of your local approvals in order to make sure that potential impacts to the environment are minimized as much as possible and our resources are protected for future generations. That being said, the approvals you will be required to obtain for marine construction typically consist of State (FDEP), Federal (USACOE), and local (specific municipality & county if applicable). For example, we recently obtained permits for 3 boat-lifts on a commercial dock with existing slips and we were required to obtain FDEP approval, USACOE approval (which we streamlined through the FDEP), DERM approval, and then approval from the specific municipality (in this case, City of Sunny Isles).
Obtaining SPGP Approval
Federal approvals from the USACOE typically take the longest to obtain with the Army Corps directly claiming that the typical time it takes them to process an application is between 3-4 months. In an effort to streamline approvals and handle incoming projects with increased efficiency, the State Programmatic General Program (SPGP) was implemented in July of 2017 by the Corps and authorizes 5 types of activities: Shoreline Stabilization, Boat ramps, docks, boat-lifts. Not every project that falls within those categories is applicable for this approval but if your project is then this essentially allows the FDEP and other agencies to grant your federal approval on behalf of the Army Corps, therefore eliminating the need to submit an individual application to the Corps and having to go through the potential 3-4 month approval period. The agencies allowed to issue this approval include the FDEP, the St. Johns River Water Management District, Hillsborough County, Broward County, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The most common agency to go through for this is the FDEP and the FDEP claims to make reasonable efforts to process applications within 30-60 days depending on if you’re applying for an exemption, general permit, or an individual permit. With that being said, if your project manager has everything that they need to complete their review and your project is applicable for SPGP approval, you could obtain your federal and state approvals in under a month!!
In order to make a preliminary decision on whether or not your project will be applicable for this approval and on whether or not we should collect the necessary forms, one of the first things we will do is check the distance from your project site to the nearest federal channel. As a general guideline, if your project is farther than 300 ft from a federal channel then we will go ahead and gather all of the supplemental forms that the project manager might need to review your project for SPGP approval and we will submit these forms along with our initial FDEP application.
A useful tool we use for this is the FDEPs MapDirect tool which allows you to create different overlays on the program for what you’re trying to check for in your area.
Although the initial process of screening your project site and checking the nearby resources in the area for potential SPGP approval along with gathering and filling out the supplemental forms we will be submitting may take up more time in the beginning, in the long run streamlining your approvals through the FDEP and obtaining SPGP approval will get your projects started a lot quicker and efficiently leaving all parties involved with increased satisfaction.
Outsourcing Your Approvals To A Team Of Specialists
If you don’t already outsource the permitting side of your business then now might be the perfect time for you and your team to start!! By doing your due diligence with the permitting process and covering all your bases on the different options available, you can save your team a lot of time and unnecessary headaches. The permitting process can be a daunting and time-consuming process consisting of a lot of back and forth correspondence that a busy contractor or team member handling other aspects of your business can find to be very overwhelming. By hiring a team that specializes in getting your permits approved as quickly as possible, you can completely change the dynamic of your team and reclaim your energy and direct it towards the things that truly drive your growth!!
We are constantly learning and evolving along with the agencies and the local municipalities throughout the State of Florida and we understand the importance of maintaining this mentality when you’re dealing with the permitting side of projects. With that being said, our team here truly does everything possible to ensure that your team has a positive experience. We know how much time and energy it can save you if we can streamline your federal approvals through the FDEP and we always do the work to make sure that this can be done if your project is applicable!!