Home Builders Applaud EPA Announcement to Improve Florida Wetlands Permitting Process

Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla., and Rusty Payton, chief executive officer of the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA), issued the following statements regarding today’s EPA announcement to provide the state of Florida with oversight of the CWA 404 federal wetlands permitting program, becoming the third state to assume administration of the program:

Chuck Fowke, Chairman, National Association of Home Builders:
“NAHB praises EPA’s authorization of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to administer the CWA’s Section 404 program as Congress envisioned. Allowing FDEP to issue dredge and fill permits for impacts to both federal and state waters streamlines the process and improves resource protection. It also brings more certainty to the cumbersome and lengthy permitting process, which is expected to reduce project delays and costs for prospective home buyers.”

Rusty Payton, CEO, Florida Home Builders Association:
“This is a positive step forward for builders in Florida. The federal process can be burdensome and lead to frequent and significant delays adding time and money to the building process. By turning this process over to the state, we expect a much more consistent and improved way to get 404 permits approved in a timely manner.”