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This is a statewide layer representing mitigation banks permitted under Ch. 373.4136, Florida Statutes. Florida mitigation bank information is important for wetland permit reviewers and developers that may need mitigation options. The layer can also serve to enhance information on conservation lands. Mitigation Banks may be permitted by DEP or a Water Management District, but are used by both agencies, creating the need for a statewide layer. Mitigation banking is a practice in which an environmental enhancement and preservation project is conducted by a public agency or private entity (banker) to provide mitigation for unavoidable wetland impacts within a defined region (represented in the Mitigation Banks Service Area layer). The bank is the site itself (this data layer), and the currency sold by the banker to the impact permittee is a credit, which represents the wetland ecological value equivalent to the complete restoration of one acre. The number of potential credits permitted for the bank and the credit debits required for impact permits are determined by the permitting agencies, and this information is provided in the data layer table. For more information on mitigation banking, go to http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/mitigation/mitigation_banking.htm. |