News Release - Development and Environmental Preservation Coexist with New Permit

The City of Palm Bay has become one of the first in the state to obtain an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) that will allow lot owners to build on their property in areas previously restricted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service because of scrub jay habitat. The permit requires the City to mitigate for potential impacts to protected species (scrub jays, indigo snakes and gopher tortoises) by implementing an environmental service fee city-wide that will provide funding to purchase and preserve more suitable habitat elsewhere. Although the scattered lots in certain areas of the City had scrub habitat, the scrub jay population was declining due to the poor quality of the habitat.

Starting April 23, lot owners throughout the City will be able to obtain building permits for their property. The permit does include some restrictions on clearing between March 1st and June 30th for lots within the habitat area, but building is allowed to occur.

The proceeds from the environmental service fee (initially set at $125 per quarter acre) will be provided to the Nature Conservancy to be used to purchase higher quality habitat. In addition to the fee, Palm Bay will be required to develop educational material regarding the scrub jay that will be distributed with building permits and published on the City’s web site. Annual monitoring of scrub jay nests and annual reporting are also required as part of the permit conditions.

“The Incidental Take Permit is a good way to allow citizens to use their property while still providing for protection of endangered species,” said Lee Feldman, Palm Bay City Manager. “This is significant for the citizens of Palm Bay who have paid taxes on their property, but have been unable to obtain permits to build. The City Council believes that purchasing large tracts of high-quality habitat is a much better way to protect the species than restricting the use of individual lots,” Feldman added.

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Yvonne Martinez

Public Information Coordinator
Phone (321) 952-3456 ext. 4678
Cell (321) 426-5194
130 Malabar Road
Palm Bay, FL 32907

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