As with any new road or road widening project, permits for impacts to wetlands and for stormwater management must be obtained from various environmental permitting agencies. The permitting process is very involved and requires continuous coordination with the environmental agencies throughout the life of the project. Coordination with these agencies began during the RCA Study and is continuing during the design phase. A more detailed explanation of the types of permits that are expected to be required from specific environmental agencies is provided below.

The East-West Road project will likely require an Individual Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) and an Individual Dredge and Fill Permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers (US ACOE). As a condition of permit issuance, the project will have to meet state and federal criteria.

The permitting process includes early coordination with regulatory agencies via Pre-Application Meetings and field verification of potential wetland impacts. Once complete, the design, is submitted to SJRWMD using a Joint Application for an Environmental Resource Permit / Federal Dredge and Fill Permit whereby SJRWMD will forward a copy of the application to the US ACOE for their review. SJRWMD has 30 days to review the application and if the application is determined to be complete, then application is scheduled for the Governing Board for final approval. The Governing Board can vote in favor of the staff recommendation or deny the project. Once approved, the project is normally issued a Permit letter within 30 days. However, if the application is not complete, then SJRWMD issues a Request for Additional Information (RAI). The project team must provide the additional information until the SJRWMD staff is satisfied the application is considered complete. As part of the SJRWMD Permit, the Mitigation Plan is established and included in this permit process. Coordination with the US ACOE and the Orange County Environmental Protection Division is essential.

The US ACOE does a simultaneous review of the application under federal rules and guidelines. The project application is published for 30 - day Public Notice period awaiting any comments or objections from citizens and various organizations. If comments are made, then the comments or objections are addressed and reviewed by the US ACOE. However, if no comments or objections are made, then the project goes ahead with the permit process to establish an acceptable Mitigation Plan for the Wetland Impacts associated with the project. The Mitigation Plan shows proof of impacts being mitigated by means of mitigation bank credits purchased or conservation areas purchased and property deeds recorded. Once the satisfaction of mitigation is provided to US ACOE, then a permit is issued.