🏡Incidental Take Permit Application for Polk County, Florida
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-tailed Mole Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
Summary
We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Lennar Homes (Smokey Groves) (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the construction of a mixed density residential development in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Nation Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Department Manual (DM). To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement for HCPs, which is available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.
Agencies
- Interior Department
- Fish and Wildlife Service
Business Impact
$$ - Med
The document discusses an Incidental Take Permit application related to a construction project and the requirement for public comments, which implies regulatory compliance and potential financial implications for developers, specifically Lennar Homes. The permitting process involves habitat conservation, which may impact project timelines and costs.