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Species Protection
 The City of Palm Bay has received United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approval of the City’s Habitat Conservation Plan and the Incidental Take Permit (ITP) both of which cover the Florida Scrub-Jay, the Gopher Tortoise and the Eastern Indigo Snake.
The ITP is a City-wide permit that allows lot owners within the covered area to build on their property. However, the permit also requires the City to collect an environmental service fee (More information available by accessing the Code of Ordinances reference Chapter 172 - Environmental Regulations) with each building permit issued. The fee will be used by a conservation agency (designated by the USFWS) to assist in purchasing large tracts of habitat that will better preserve the covered species.
To further enhance protection of the Florida Scrub-Jay, lot owners in the scrub-jay polygons may build on their property, but may not clear their property from March 1 through June 30 each year, except as follows:
- where biological surveys indicate there is no active Florida Scrub-Jay nest.
- where vegetative conditions pose a persistent fire hazard to adjacent developed properties.
- within 25 feet of an adjacent developed lot, where nuisance vegetation is encroaching on the adjacent property.
Learn more about these protected species:
Click images below to enlarge.
Gopher Tortoise
   
Indigo Snake
  
Scrub-Jay
  
If you have any questions, please contact:
City of Palm Bay
Building Division
5240 Babcock Street
Palm Bay, Florida 32905
321-953-8924
building@pbfl.org
More resources are available at the following links:
To report a wildlife violation:
1-888-404-3922
http://myfwc.com/law/Alert/
To obtain information regarding gopher tortoise permits
To obtain information about imperiled species in Florida
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