Third Phase Of The Florida Coastal Access Project

Florida Trustee Implementation Group Proposes Third Phase of the Florida Coastal Access Project The Florida Trustee Implementation Group released a draft restoration plan proposing the third phase of the Florida Coastal Access Project for public review and comment. The Draft Phase V.3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment (PDF, 45 pg) proposes one additional recreational use project: the acquisition of a coastal parcel of land, the Navarre Beach Marine Park Addition. The privately-owned parcel is within the existing Navarre Beach Marine Park property and acquisition would enhance the public's access to the surrounding natural resources and increase recreational opportunities. The public comment period is open until July 22, 2019, and we're holding a public meeting on the draft plan on July 18. This draft restoration plan is consistent with the Trustees' programmatic restoration plan and supplements the first and second phases of the Florida Coastal Access Project. The first phase of the project, described in the Phase V Early Restoration Plan, included acquisition and/or enhancement of four coastal parcels, and the second phase, described in the Phase V.2 Restoration Plan, included acquisition and enhancement of recreational amenities at one coastal parcel in the Florida Panhandle. The Florida Coastal Access Project addresses a portion of the lost recreational use in Florida caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Public Comment Period and Meeting Ahead of the July 22 public comment deadline, we'll hold a public meeting to present the plan and receive comments on July 18. The meeting will include an open house during which Trustee representatives can answer questions about the proposal. This will be followed by a formal public meeting, during which members of the public are invited to provide oral and/or written comments on the proposed acquisition. Meeting information follows: • Date: Thursday, July 18, 2019 • Location: Navarre Beach Marine Science Station, 8638 Heron Court, Navarre, FL 32566 • Time: 5:30 p.m. CT Open House 6:00 p.m. CT Public Meeting Comments can also be submitted: • Online: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/FLRPV3 • By mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service P.O. Box 29649 Atlanta, GA 30345 Comments received by the July 22, 2019 deadline will be reviewed and considered in preparing the final restoration plan in the future. Read the Draft Phase V.3 Restoration Plan (PDF, 45 pg).