The Environmental Resource Management section is divided into three areas of responsibility: permitting, reviewing and evaluating permitted activities (compliance section), and reviewing and evaluating unauthorized activities (enforcement section).

The permitting section evaluates approximately 640 applications annually (individual permits, standard general permits, noticed general permits & exemptions).  They perform wetland jurisdictional delineations for the public as requested and respond to over 3,330 phone requests for information on wetland related issues monthly.  The Permitting section also provides assistance to other governmental agencies on wetland topics.  In addition they participate in Ecosystem Management Programs and serve as technical members of a variety of Environmental Organizations/Groups (i.e. Regional Planning Councils, National Estuary Programs, Lake Management Groups, etc.).

The compliance section ensures compliance with wetland resource, MSSW and ERP permits, leases or other Department authorizations. This section is responsible for the review of over 3,300 permits authorizing some form of activity in wetlands including but not being limited to dock and seawall construction, commercial marina construction, commercial developments, road construction, etc. These permits required over 5,500 acres of wetland creation or enhancement and over 5,500 acres of wetland preservation.

The compliance section conducts lease renewal and Grandfather Registration structures inspections for the Division of State Lands. The district completed over 180 such inspections in 1997 and 1998. The compliance section is also the statewide coordination center for the Florida Gas Transmission pipeline project, Phase III and the Central Florida Pipeline project. These two projects entailed over 724 acres of impact and over 1,245 acres of mitigation.  As a whole the SLERP compliance/enforcement program conducted an average of over 510 inspections per year over the last three years.

The enforcement section’s primary responsibility is complaint response. The section responds to and processes complaints received by the District regarding dredge and fill activities, mangrove trimming, water quality issues associated with dredging or filling, state lands proprietary issues and flooding concerns. Complaints are received from private citizens, the water management districts, local municipalities, etc.   This section has received and processed an average of over 330 complaints per year for the last three years.