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Item B BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: May 16.2001 Division: Mayor George Neugent Bulk Item: Yes No-L Department: Mayor George Neugent AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval to submit a grant application for approximately $300,000 for the purpose undertaking two projects; (1) preparation of a Master Plan that will identify appropriate sites for mooring fields, develop the necessary management plans for utilizing State submerged land, provide for pump-out facilities, and coordinate land-based marina facilities and (2) provision of limited funds for the purchase of native plants for restoration of native habitat on public lands. Agreement to hold a public hearing on the item ITEM BACKGROUND: Through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (ClAP) administered by NOAA, $296,387 in grant funds are available for (FDEP words - "entitled to") Monroe County. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection administers the program for the State of Florida. As the designated lead agency for coordinating the ClAP, FDEP will prepare a proposal for the Governor's consideration and submission to NOAA. It is anticipated that Florida's ClAP plan will be certified by July 2001 and that Counties submitting projects will receive their ClAP disbursement by November 2001. Monroe County will work with the Department of Community Affairs and others to develop a Mooring Field plan and to obtain funds for native habitat replacement. See attached project descriptions. PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: None CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES: None STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Approval. TOTAL COST: $296.387 BUDGETED: Yes No COST TO COUNTY: None REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes -K... No AMOUNT PER MONTH unk Year _unk_ APPROVED BY: County Atty NA OMBlPurchasing NA Risk Management NA . DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL: Mayor George Neugent To Follow_ Not Required_ DOCUMENTATION: Included X DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM # Overview The NOAA Office of Coastal Resources Management has made a significant amount of grant funding available to the State of Florida. Each County in the State has been allocated a portion of the grant funds. Monroe County's portion is up to $296,387. Submitting a proposal (for single or multiple projects) is virtually assured, as we understand it. The NOAA program, which provides the available grant funds, is called the Coastal Impact Assistance Program. There are fifteen authorized areas for which grant funds may be provided. In general, these include: ~ wetland conservation, protection and restoration; ~ mitigation for damage to fish and wildlife, including activities related to oil spill mitigation and contingency planning; ~ shoreline erosion control; ~ control of invasive exotic plant species; ~ monitor or control coastal pollutant runoff; ~ map coastal resources; ~ manage seasonal fluctuations in tourist populations; or ~ other related issue areas. We would like to submit two projects for consideration. The first (project 1) is the development and implementation of a mooring field plan for the unincorporated area of Monroe County and the municipalities which individually desire assistance. This project would require the majority of funds, approximately $250,000. The second project (Project 2) is the provision of funds for the restoration of upland areas where invasive exotic vegetation has recently been removed. Principally, this would be in the Big Pine area where a number of large parcels along U.S. Highway 1 have recently been cleared of exotics. The Mayor was just recently made aware of the grant program and the need to expedite an application to the Department of Environmental Protection. Proposed grant project summaries must be to the State by the end of the month. Approval to submit a grant proposal for these two items will then necessitate a public hearing, which has been set for 5:30 PM, 16 May 2001, the evening of the first day of the May BOCC meeting. Project 1 Summary In an effort to address increasing boating impacts, specifically in regards to heavily used anchorages and liveaboard areas, Monroe County is proposing to implement a regional system of managed mooring fields in strategic locations throughout the Florida Keys. Recent studies have indicated numerous problems related to the increasing number of liveaboard vessels in South Florida and the Keys, including: overcrowded anchorages, illegal dumping of raw sewage, anchor damage to seagrass beds, vessels dragging into docks and power lines during storm events, improper use of public and private property for land access, depositing of marine debris, proliferation of unpermitted and unsafe moorings, and the ever present derelict vessel problem. A regional system of mooring fields is being recommended as a management strategy to eliminate these boating impacts by providing legal and appropriate land access, much needed shoreside amenities and services, as well as a safe and secure system for vessel mooring in high density areas. Background The Florida Keys have experienced significant development over the last several decades, due to the attraction as a tourist destination as well as to the increasing local population. This increase in growth has not only taxed the land-based infrastructure, but has carned over into the marine environment as well. These impacts are well documented and are easily observed throughout the nearshore environment with the proliferation of boaters from every user group. One of the greatest boating impacts we are currently experiencing is the large number of vessels at anchor, which is dominated by liveaboard boaters. Liveaboard boaters include cruisers (transients), but in the popular Keys anchorages are predominately localliveaboards. The proliferation of localliveaboards is due to a combination of the desire to live an alternative lifestyle and the increasing cost of living, which has caused many locals to choose living on the water. This is an unfortunate circumstance as these boaters often live on vessels that are neither safe or in compliance with state and federal boating standards. In addition, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has indicated that the State does not consider living over State owned submerged lands an acceptable form of affordable housing, and it is in violation of departmental policy (the State has identified a six month limit for anchoring in any one location). Furthermore, as local liveaboards become more dense in anchorage areas, the availability of anchoring room for transient vessels has diminished. This problem has become so severe that some cruising guides now recommend that cruisers not stay over at these previously popular anchorages so as to avoid the crowded, haphazard anchoring scenarios, as well as the rundown conditions and lack of shoreside facilities. This problem is further exacerbated by the ongoing disputes between localliveaboards and adjacent shoreside residents. The bottom line is that the number of boaters desiring to use anchorages has increased while the available anchorage area and shoreside services have not. The popular anchorages can no longer sustain the current level of usage, and associated physical and environmental impacts, without the implementation of a comprehensive plan of management. Project Objectives GeneralObiectives: 1) Provide appropriate and equal access to user groups for utilization of popular anchorage areas 2) Minimize conflicts between anchor-outs and shoreside residents 3) Ensure compliance with the Clean Vessel Act 4) Provide approved pump-out services at all popular anchorage areas 5) Assist with the implementation of 'no discharge zone' status for the Florida Keys 6) Provide necessary shoreside services and amenities to transient and localliveaboard boaters 7) Remove accumulated marine debris, including illegal moorings, in anchorage areas 8) Eliminate abandoned and derelict vessels 9) Provide safe and secure vessel mooring in anchorage areas 10) Protect and promote the health of benthic resources in and adjacent to anchorage areas Specific Objectives outlined in the Monroe County 2010 Comprehensive Plan: Develop and implement siting and discharge regulations, fee requirements, and enforcement provisions designed to reduce pollutant discharges into surface waters from moored/anchored vessels in nearshore waters to the extent allowed by law. Project 2 Summary The principal objective of project 2 is to provide funds to replace exotic vegetation recently removed from a number of sites in the Big Pine Key area and other locations. The properties involved are all in public ownership. The project is intended to accomplish two things. On the one hand, replacement of exotic species with native plant species will restore dwindling native habitat to the Keys. On the other hand, planting of native plants will keep exotics plant species form recolonizing. It is a goal of the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration process to eliminate where possible all invasive exotic plant species. Background The federal government, the State of Florida, and Monroe County have all engaged in significant and costly land acquisition programs. The purpose for land acquisition in the Keys, among others, is to protect vital habitat for Keys animal species, to protect remaining examples of tropical hardwood and wetland communities, and to purchase property made unbuildable through recent growth management efforts. Increasingly, management of these lands is becoming an issue. In many cases debris has been placed indiscriminately on some of these properties and in some cases invasive exotic plant species have taken over, particularly at the margins or in areas where previous disturbance has occurred. In order to project Florida and Florida Keys habitats it has been an outstanding policy at all levels of government to engage in the removal of exotic plant species. However, as often as management efforts such as this have been overlooked in the past, more often the replacement of exotic plants with native plants has not occurred. This effort will provide funds to replace exotic plants removed in recent and future clearing efforts with native plant species. Project 2 Objectives General 1. Identify parcels of land in public ownership that have been or will be cleared of exotic plants species. 2. After considering potential future uses for these properties, if any, implement a program of native habitat restoration Comprehensive Plan 1. Specific Comprehensive Plan policies reflect the need to remove exotic plant species where possible and to replace those plants with native plants. To the greatest extent possible these areas should be restored to native habitat, while considering any potential passive or active uses of these public properties.