Florida’s CFO - “Congressional action immediately”

Jimmy Patronis, CFO regarding Moss’s summary decision of vacatur of “404 permitting” throughout our great State of Florida, “I’m appalled that one person in a robe judging from their bench all the way in Washington has been allowed to shut down many of our state’s economic development projects.”

Regarding the three + years Florida did the permitting - “the state 404 permitting program has allowed Florida to build enough roads, housing, and businesses to keep up with the influx of new Floridians,” Patronis wrote.

Bottom-line - our State Government has deadlines when properly permitting applications vs the Feds who have no timeline thresholds. Reminder - Florida has been utilizing our wetland delineation methodologies vs the Feds for 20 years! (WEL blog 3/1)

“Now, construction projects across the state have come to a grinding halt and placed many of our business owners and their employees in financial straits.” “Right now, over 1,600 applications have yet to be approved, leaving private and public projects in a state of limbo,” Patronis wrote. “Unfortunately, nobody knows how to shoot themselves in the foot quite like short-sighted environmental alarmists who set out to find activist judges who will twist the law to their own ends. This is why we need congressional action immediately.”

Earthjustice attorney Bonnie Malloy said, “We’re talking about the destruction of some of the last remaining habitat for one of the most endangered animals in the world.” Earthjustice estimated that a development project in South Florida seeking a wetlands permit under the state’s process could result in the deaths of up to 26 Florida panthers.