Interoffice Memorandum
DATE: March 12, 2025
TO: Mayor Jerry L. Demings and County Commissioners
THROUGH: N/A
FROM: Tanya Wilson, AICP, Director Planning, Environmental, and Development Services Department
CONTACT: Alan Marshall, Environmental Policy Coordinator,
PHONE: (407) 836-5884
DIVISION: N/A
ACTION REQUESTED:title
Shingle Creek Basin and St. Johns River Basin Technical Studies
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PROJECT: Shingle Creek Basin and St. Johns River Basin Technical Studies
PURPOSE: On April 8, 2025, staff will provide a work session for the Board relating to the results of technical studies conducted on two drainage basins in Orange County: Shingle Creek and St. Johns River. These studies are part of a multi-part phased effort to assess the current state of the County's natural resources, identify areas of concern relating to growth associated with future population increases, and consider improvements to the County's permitting standards.
In 2021, the County began a comprehensive review of its wetland permitting processes and standards, located in Orange County Code, Chapter 15, Article X. As part of that review, staff contracted Drummond Carpenter, PLLC to conduct an in-depth "State of the Wetlands" study to serve as a baseline for future work on updating the code. One of the conclusions of the report focused on areas of concern for future development. Based on hotspots of wetland losses and analyses of potential future risk of wetland loss, the most vulnerable remaining wetland areas within Orange County include:
- St. Johns River - upper and lower portions
- Shingle Creek
- Cypress Creek
- Groundwater vulnerable wetlands in southwest Orange County, including
Reedy Creek
On September 13, 2022, staff presented a comprehensive work session on the Shingle Creek basin detailing the history of the area, land ownership, water quality and quantity data, drainage protocols, and potential protective m...
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