The purpose is to provide the logical framework whereby the various discreet green infrastructure elements can be understood, managed and sustained or enhanced overtime and coherently and cogently addressed within the jurisdiction’s local comprehensive plan and development review processes.

 2.  Amend The Local Government Comprehensive Plan To Incorporate Green Infrastructure Components.   

Through the actions of Comprehensive Planning the community seeks to utilize and strengthen the existing role, processes, and powers of local governments in the establishment and implementation of comprehensive planning programs to guide and control future development.

The comprehensive planning process is intended to encourage units of local government to preserve, promote, protect, and improve the public health, safety, comfort, good order, appearance, convenience, law enforcement and fire prevention, and general welfare; prevent the overcrowding of land and avoid undue concentration of population; facilitate the adequate and efficient provision of transportation, water, sewer,

schools, parks and recreational facilities, housing, and other requirements and services; and conserve, develop, utilize, and protect natural resources within their jurisdictions.

 A jurisdiction’s inherent green infrastructure components naturally help communities meet basic community planning intentions and need to be understood and documented under a coherent framework. This can be accomplished following a cross-element integrative approach using the existing boiler plate directives of 9J-5, F.A.C. (i.e., within the Future Land Use, Conservation, Coastal, Groundwater Recharge and Recreation elements) or, can be provided as an independent stand-alone segment within the adopted plan – a Green Infrastructure Element (or some combination thereof). 

3. Adopt a Local Conservation Subdivision Ordinance

Conservation subdivisions are a useful alternative to traditional subdivisions that are both ecologically and economically beneficial. Not only are conservation subdivisions aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve to preserve sensitive lands for an areas’ biodiversity and ecological functions. They most always add monetary value to the developer and eventual homeowners.  Can get examples by linking to: http://www.floridahabitat.org/wiki/large-property-parcel-planning/using-conservation-subdivisions-for-wildlife-and-habitat

4. Adopt an Upland Protection Ordinance

An Upland Habitat Protection Ordinance is to provide protection of high quality xeric and mesic natural plant communities and wildlife habitat in the jurisdiction, and for the protection of remaining large contiguous environmentally sensitive areas, in order to retain habitat diversity and wildlife corridors and to maintain the quality of life in the jurisdiction and protect the health, safety, welfare and general well being of the citizens of the jurisdiction.

The purpose and intent is to promote ecological stability and integrity by preventing the loss of native upland habitat. The specific objectives to be advanced by the regulations are the maintenance of air and water quality, the control of erosion, the reduction of stormwater runoff, conservation of water resources, preservation of adequate aquifer recharge throughout the spatial extent of the aquifer, the promotion of biological diversity and the preservation of native upland habitat for various forms of plants and wildlife, including species which are endangered, threatened or of special concern. 

Can get examples by linking to: http://www.floridahabitat.org/wiki/large-property-parcel-planning/upland-habitat-protection-ordinances

5. Implement A Reoccurring Effort To Cross-train the Jurisdiction’s Professional Planning; Engineering And Related Development Review Staff and Administrators Regarding The Value Of Linkage and Integration Of Green Infrastructure With Other Necessary Infrastructures (can be offered as an amendment to the comprehensive plan under the Conservation or Future Land Use Elements).

Land development actions and infrastructure provisions are made through the guidance of the local comprehensive plan, capital budgeting processes and the specifics of the implementing land development regulations.  Only through improved cross-departmental integration can money, time and efficiencies be furthered and wasteful or duplicative actions minimized. 

A Community’s green infrastructure components tend to be affected (positively or negatively) by decisions made by various local government departments.  A good example of these cross-connections are the obvious linkages between planning road, stormwater and recreation departments and the money, safety and efficiencies that can be gained when development and budgeting review processes are integrated to capture and conserve the existing green infrastructure benefits.

6.  Adopt And Implement Low Impact Development Stormwater Ordinance.

 Low Impact Development (LID) is an integrated approach in site development and environmental protection. The LID approach focuses on how the developed area of a site is planned and designed to avoid or minimize impacts to the environment, especially water quality and quantity.  LID uses a variety of site design, stormwater treatment train provisions and pollution prevention techniques to create a functional and environmentally-sensitive site landscape that preserves many natural features and ecological functions. 

One of the primary objectives of LID design is to reduce runoff volume by infiltrating rainfall water to ground water, evaporating rain water back to the atmosphere after a storm, and finding beneficial uses for water rather than exporting it as a waste product down storm sewers.  The result is a landscape functionally equivalent to pre development hydrologic conditions, which means less surface runoff and less pollution damage to surface and ground waters of the system.  LID strategies integrate green space, native landscaping, natural hydrologic functions, and various other techniques to generate less runoff from developed land.

7.  Develop and Adopt A “Dark Sky” Ordinance. 

Many birds and animals are affected by stray light intruding into their night world, confusing their natural patterns, deterring them from established foraging areas, and affecting their breeding cycles (causing premature breeding). This is not just limited to urban areas; the detrimental effect of light pollution penetrates deep into the heart of our rural landscape

We distinguish “astronomical light pollution”, which obscures the view of the night sky, from “ecological light pollution”, which alters natural light regimes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Some of the consequences of light for certain taxonomic groups are well known, such as the deaths of migratory birds around tall lighted structures, and those of hatchling sea turtles disoriented by lights on their natal beaches. The more subtle influences of artificial night lighting on the behavior and community ecology of species are less well recognized, and constitute a new focus for research in ecology and a pressing conservation challenge.  More information and example of Dark Sky ordinance development can be found at: http://www.floridahabitat.org/wiki/ecological-effects-of-artificial-light-at-night

8. Develop and Adopt a Local Xeriscape & Native Plant Ordinance

Through such and ordinance a community follows resourceful landscape planning and installation, and water-efficient irrigation, and encourages appropriate maintenance measures to promote conservation of water resources and use of local plant species and varieties well suited to the natural weather and landscape conditions. 

Sarasota City efficient landscape ordinance - http://sarasota.extension.ufl.edu/WEL/ord/docs/ord.htm

Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program (IFAS)

9.) Develop and Adopt a Waterbody/Waterways Buffering Strategy

A buffer is an area of naturally vegetated land along a lake, stream, or wetland that provides numerous benefits.  Preserving a buffer protects water resources from neighboring land uses.  Nutrient inputs are of great concern because of their abundant sources (fertilizer, septic tank drain fields, leaking sewage lines, animal waste).  Excess nutrients in lakes and estuaries cause toxic algal blooms and depleted oxygen.  Natural chemical and biological processes within buffers alter or uptake nutrients and pollutants before they enter a water body, thus providing a cost-effective treatment system.  Buffers preserve native habitat for wildlife and enhance aquatic habitat.  The range of benefits provided by buffers includes (among other things):

• Water quality protection
• Erosion control
• Storage of floodwaters and flood damage reduction
• Aquatic habitat enhancement
• Habitat for terrestrial riparian wildlife
• Maintenance of base flow in streams
• Improved aesthetic appearance of stream corridors
• Recreational and educational opportunities

For more information you can go to: http://www.floridahabitat.org/wiki/RiversCreeksAndWetlands

St. Johns River WMD Basin Criteria Chapter 40C-41, F.A.C

The Econlockhatchee River Basin Zone (ERPA), LDC Chapter 30 Part 57

10.  Locate and Map the Lands Within Your Jurisdiction That are Already Subject To Conservation Easements or have been Acquired for Conservation Purposes. The primary effort may be directed at DEP and COE held conservation easements, because they likely exist in your community and are directed at preserving the land for its natural characteristics, particularly its wetland values. Additional easements may be held as conservation land by other local counties, cities or by private organizations.

The ultimate purpose of such inventory is to provide state and federal agencies, local governments, and the citizens of the jurisdiction with a reference and expandable database of local conservation easements. This information is useful for planning purposes involving aspects of the development of our ecosystem such as local comprehensive planning, zoning, planning for the maximization of mitigating actions through the use of conservation easements, flood control plans, etc. Ground level photographs can be taken of the conservation easements to initiate a monitoring program to track the status of each easement through time.

For a very well done local inventory and assessment of existing conservation easements in Bay County Florida go to: http://www.floridahabitat.org/wiki/pdf/an-inventory-of-conservation-easements-in-bay-county-florida . This work helps to lay a foundation for planning local green infrastructure as many existing conservation easements are already in place that have been negotiated via various state, regional or local regulatory processes. Efforts like this are a good starting point or project along the way to systematic planning of an area's green infrastructure.

Very well done local Inventory and assessment of exiisting conservation easements in Bay County Florida. Prepared by: Neil J. Lamb, Ph.D. Edwin J. Keppner, Ph.D. Co-Chair Conservation Committee and Conservation Committee Bay County Audubon Society Bay County Audubon Society For: The Bay County Audubon Society, Inc. December 2004.

This work has been overlooked by FDEP and other natural resource agencies in Florida.   They should take another look though because this effort helps to lay a foundation for planning local green infrastructure. Many exisitng conservation easements are already in place that have been negotiated via various state, regional or local regulatory processes (like FDEP). Unfortunately, though easements have been and continue to be created the state and regional agencies have not perfected the linkage that ought to be in place with local tax assessor's or planning offices.  

These regulatory easements are often buried in the files of the regulatory agencies doing littlle good for anyone. Efforts like the Bay County one have located and mapped these easements on GIS and are a good starting point or project along the way to systematic planning of an area's green infrastructure.   Other local governments and local environmental groups need to examine this work and duplicate it in their areas. FDEP needs to work out a system of standardizing the mapping and distribution of these easements to the affected local governments and property appraiser.

An Inventory of Conservation Easements in Bay County, Florida  (Quite a large file - extended download time)

Florida's future shrinks by 2100

(By Kevin Lollar, The News-Press, Originally posted on April 13, 2007)

Copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/NEWS0105/704130648/1075

Florida continues to grow and as a result more and more roads are planned and other are widened to accommodate the increasing traffic loads.  Rare in this state are the quite country roads linking communities where traffic is slight and the danger to wildlife low.

New and expanded corridors seem to be the solutions of choice at state, regional and local levels.  The net effect of this road matrix of ever increasing density is a greater fractionalizing of our wildlife habitat into smaller and smaller pieces.  Each habitat piece is affected more and more by a variety of stressor (e.g., the immediate road crossing dangers, additional light, noise, human presence, proximity of pets, surface water flow disruptions, etc.).  In contrast to this slicing and dicing of our remaining natural and rural areas is an increasing knowledge about how to lessen the impacts of these transportation corridors and their related development impacts and how we can maintain wildlife permeability across these mounting barriers.

The knowledge on how to maintain wildlife permeability across these new and expanding corridors is improving.  Nevertheless, beyond the improving technical knowledge base, what we lack are good assessments at the state, regional and local levels of existing or planned road facilities on wildlife and what new features, enhancements or mitigative actions ought to be put into place.  Due to the incredible rate of past growth in Florida and the forecasted growth, it seems rational and prudent that we stop and take the time and effort do the proper analyses of our wildlife and what will be needed to keep our common species common and rare species sustained in the face of more roads. This of course will take funding at multiple governmental levels.  The State of Florida should strive to lead this effort by proceeding with such analyses on all existing and planned roads within its purview inclusive of toll roads permitted under Florida law. Local governments should be encouraged to perform similar analysis for their roads.