UPDATE ON HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN; COMMUNITY MEETING TO BE PLANNED

BIG PINE KEY, FL – Monroe County staff continues to work with federal partners on matters related to the Big Pine Key Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and the Incidental Take Permit (ITP), originally created in the early 2000s, and acknowledges ongoing community interest and concerns regarding the future of the plan and the protection of endangered species.

For clarity, the HCP did not limit growth on Big Pine Key and No Name Key. The county establishes maximum Rate of Growth Ordinance (ROGO) allocations through the comprehensive plan. The HCP/ITP controlled the amount of habitat that could be removed for private and government development.   

County staff have no desire to reduce protections for endangered species. Over the past decade, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has developed other studies countywide. The FWS developed the Biological Opinion (BO) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that accomplishes the same goals as the HCP. The BO covers the following endangered species: 

• American crocodile
• Eastern indigo snake
• Key deer
• Key Largo cotton mouse
• Key Largo woodrat
• Key tree-cactus
• Lower Keys marsh rabbit
• Schaus swallowtail butterfly
• Silver rice rat
• Stock Island tree snail

The county is focused on using this study to evaluate proposed new development and bring consistency to the permitting process. 

The HCP allows habitat used by endangered species to be impacted by development if the county buys land containing three times the impacted habitat and dedicates it as conservation land. By doing so, the county has funded the impacts of private development. The county remains committed to purchasing conservation land throughout the Florida Keys for conservation purposes, regardless of whether it is required to allow property owners on Big Pine Key to build new housing.

Most HCP protections are already included in Monroe County codes. Staff is currently developing proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to ensure that the protection for endangered species contained in the HCP is reflected in the future.

Additionally, staff have been coordinating with the FWS on transitioning from the HCP to the BO countywide and on discontinuing the county's subsidization of private property owners seeking permits for private development. 

Several federal meetings have been delayed due to intermittent government shutdowns, which have affected scheduling. The county anticipates receiving additional clarity from federal partners before the ITP expires, June 30, 2026. The HCP expired in 2023. 

Monroe County will plan a community meeting on Big Pine Key to discuss the HCP/ITP, local concerns, environmental protection plans, and the path forward. Details of this meeting will be announced after coordinating with FWS. More information about the HCP is available at www.monroecounty-fl.gov/environmentalresources.

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