Wetlands in Florida

Wetlands in Florida is the first consideration buyers should learn about when looking to purchase vacant land here in Central Florida. Wetland are environmentally protected land that cannot be disturbed without a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP). County and/or municipal (where applicable) governments could also require a permit to disturb environmentally protected land. 

There isn’t much vacant land left in Central Florida zoned for single family residences or agriculture that doesn’t have some wetlands on it. Many parcels are 100% wetlands. 

Below is some information to help determine if a property may have wetlands and each county’s zoning department website or staff can then let you know the requirements to build on any specific parcel of land. Please note that the county website resources are informational and may not be 100% reliable. It’s a good, cursory first check. 

When you’re ready to make an offer on a property, please contact us at 407-564-2758. We would be glad to do that for you and negotiate terms on your behalf.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FL DEP)

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is an excellent resource. The following information was provided by them that’s been very helpful for several of our customers. 

The FL DEP defines wetlands as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and a duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soils. Soils present in wetlands generally are classified as hydric or alluvial, or possess characteristics that are associated with reducing soil conditions.

If you have already determined the extent of wetlands on the property through an environmental survey and have site plans for development, FL DEP can verify the wetland line during our permitting process. If you have available uplands, to meet reduction and elimination criteria for development, we will request that building is in the uplands prior to any wetland impacts. If only a small, isolated section of wetlands is impacted, there is the possibility the activity would be exempt.

Elimination and Reduction of Impacts

 

FL DEP Wetland Guidance on Mitigation

The application fee for an Individual Permit is $420, if submitted via US Mail or email, or $320 if submitted using the department’s electronic business portal. The cost to purchase mitigation credits and be granted only the permit to build by the FL DEP can be substantial. This can vary by supply and demand of mitigation credits for a given geographic area. In 2018, I was told the cost was $120,000 per acre in the Econ River Basin area of Chuluota. Additional costs include county and/or local municipality permitting, trucking out muck, and bringing in fill dirt suitable to build a single family home upon. More information can be found at Wetlands Mitigation and Mitigation Banking

Thomas Scott, Realtor®
Thomas Scott REALTOR®, GRI®

Additional Home Buyer Resources

Your Oviedo Home Offer is In! What Are Your Chances?

You are writing an offer in one of the hottest small towns in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country, Oviedo, Florida. We know there are multiple, multiple offers and it’s competitive. As a Realtor working with buyers, I would give them my back-of-the napkin, gut feel about how strong their offer is and their odds of it getting accepted. That was based on my years of experience, my read of the situation, and how I see offers coming in for the listing on our own team.