Marine construction projects in Florida often require several detailed surveys to meet environmental and regulatory standards. Because the state closely protects its waterways, it’s common for at least one survey to be needed before project approval. The most frequently requested surveys for marine construction projects include Boundary Surveys, Seagrass Surveys, and XY Surveys. These are the three we’ll focus on in this post.

However, depending on your project, your engineer, environmental reviewer, or local building department might request additional surveys. Some of these may include Topographic Surveys, Hydrographic Surveys, or As-Built Surveys, among others. Each of these surveys plays a key role in ensuring your marine construction project in Florida meets all marine construction permitting requirements while protecting the surrounding environment.

Boundary Survey

A Boundary Survey is almost always required for marine construction projects in Florida. It defines the exact property lines of a specific area, showing what portion of land is owned by an individual or entity. The information gathered from a boundary survey helps reviewers understand the existing site conditions, which is essential for engineers to create accurate plans and establish control points for the project.

In marine construction, these surveys also include riparian right lines, which indicate where the property ends as it meets the waterway. In Florida, riparian rights refer to the rights held by property owners whose land extends to the normal high-water line along navigable waters. This means that if a property directly borders a body of water, the owner has certain protected riparian rights associated with that waterfront access.

Seagrass Survey

As we’ve mentioned in a previous article Seagrass Surveys in South Florida, that seagrasses play a vital role in Florida’s environment and economy. Because of their importance, these habitats are highly protected by agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Each agency has its own set of regulations designed to ensure these underwater ecosystems remain healthy and undisturbed.

When a proposed project site includes areas with seagrass, a Seagrass Surveying is usually required. This survey helps document the current coverage and condition of seagrasses within the project area. Both the FDEP and USACE typically request these surveys for projects located in or near known seagrass habitats.

During a seagrass survey, all submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) within the project’s area of influence is carefully examined, identified, mapped, and described. This process ensures that any construction activities comply with environmental guidelines and minimize potential impact on Florida’s protected marine ecosystems.

XY Survey

An XY Survey helps pinpoint the exact location of a proposed structure using X and Y coordinates, the horizontal and vertical points that define its position in a two-dimensional space. In marine construction, these coordinates are especially important because they show how far a structure will extend into a Florida waterway.

For most marine construction projects in Florida, XY Surveys are commonly requested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), particularly by their Navigation Department. These surveys help confirm that new structures, such as docks, piers, or boat lifts, are properly positioned and do not interfere with navigation routes or neighboring properties.

When you’re ready to move forward with an XY Survey, you’ll usually share your project plans with your surveyor. Using those plans, the surveyor will calculate and include the precise XY coordinates of your proposed structure. This ensures your marine construction project permitting in Florida meets all regulatory requirements before approval.

Survey Coordination

Breezy Permits is able to handle the complete survey coordination permits process for marine construction projects from start to finish! With that being said, if a particular survey is being requested during the approval process for your project, our team can easily coordinate for this to be made out with one of our trusted vendors.

Hire our team for your marine construction permitting needs and experience the breeze of having our team by your side!