Environmental groups oppose a stay in the fight over wetlands permitting in Florida

Share
Florida wetlands
Sunrise at Orlando Wetlands Park. By Bkamprath via iStock for WMNF News.

©2024 The News Service of Florida

Environmental groups Thursday pushed back against a request by Florida for a partial stay of a ruling in a legal battle about a 2020 decision that shifted permitting authority from the federal government to the state for projects that affect wetlands.

U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss on Feb. 15 ruled that actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in approving the shift violated the Endangered Species Act.

Moss issued an order vacating the approval of the shift.

Such permitting authority is usually held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Saying permits were in “regulatory limbo,” the state filed a motion for a limited stay of Moss’ ruling to keep the “bulk” of Florida’s permitting program in place until a new plan can be put in place or until further court decisions.

But in a 22-page filing Thursday, environmental groups argued the state’s request would “create confusion and perpetuate violations” of the Endangered Species Act.

“The least disruptive path forward, which would also serve developers’ interest in clarity … is therefore to deny a limited stay, leave permitting authority with the (Army) Corps, and allow Florida to propose a new program subject to EPA approval,” Thursday’s filing said.

The Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper and St. Johns Riverkeeper filed the lawsuit in January 2021 against the federal government.

The state later intervened.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opposed the state’s request for a partial stay of Moss’ ruling, but Florida business groups have supported the request.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Surly Voices
Player position: