The Escambia County Budget
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Natural Resources Management
Mission Statement
Provides efficient, responsive services that enhance the quality of life, meet common needs, and promote a safe and healthy community.
Objectives / Priorities
The Natural Resources Management Department provides a diverse array of vital environmental and natural resources programs. The Department's responsive services enhance the quality of life for citizens and visitors while promoting a safe and healthy community.
- Provide citizens and visitors a healthy and enjoyable environment in which to work and play
- To enhance and conserve natural resources to provide for a healthy environment, economy, and quality of life
- Provide high quality and professional, scientific expertise and management of natural resources
- To ensure and enforce compliance with county regulations including the Land Development Code, tree protection ordinance, wetland protection ordinance, sign ordinance and nuisance abatement ordinance
- To promote climate resilience through assessment of vulnerability and adaptation planning
- To promote climate resilience through assessment of vulnerability and adaptation planning
- To enhance sustainability through energy efficiency and conservation measures
- Provide access to safe, healthy, and productive waterways
Goals
To conserve, restore, and protect natural and built environments through ecologically sound and sustainable principles based upon the best available science. To ensure compliance with policies, codes, rules, regulations, and permits in a proper and timely manner as prescribed by law.
Accomplishments
- Managing $14.3 million in grant funds through the Resilient Florida program for the Eleven Mile Creek Floodplain Expansion Project, Greater Rolling Hills Stormwater Project, Beach Haven Phase II, and Pensacola Bay NAS Living Shoreline Project
- Secured $34 million in grant funds for the Pensacola Bay NAS Living Shoreline Project
- Managing 16 RESTORE Pot 1 Direct Component restoration projects valued at $28 million
- Completed 9 RESTORE Pot 1 Direct Component Restoration and other grant projects valued at 11 million
- Managing RESTORE Pot 2 & 3, NRDA, NFWF grant restoration projects valued at $64 million
- Monitoring 64 surface water quality sites monthly as required by County’s NPDES Stormwater Permit
- Processed 5,162 analytical samples in the County’s Certified Water Quality Laboratory
- Uploaded 9,951 individual surface water monitoring results into the state’s water quality assessment database, Watershed Information Network (WIN). Escambia County is the largest data provider in the region for the following parameters: microbiological, nutrients, and general physical/chemical, and the second largest data provider in the western panhandle overall after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Investigated 6,726 Environmental Code Enforcement complaints and removed over 487 tons of trash and debris
- Conducted over 6,270 Mosquito Control inspections. Treated over 18,954 acres with adulticide spray and 1,281 larvicide treatments. Responded to 239 Service Requests with an average response time of less than 24 hours
- Constructed four artificial reefs with external funding and removed 12 derelict vessels with grant funding from FWC
- Conducted 540 Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring patrols every morning for the nesting season
- Conducted six acres of forestry mulching, 28 acres of invasive species eradication, and 100 acres of prescribed burning on county conservation lands utilizing funding, such as the Florida Forest Service’s State Wildfire Assistance Grant, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Habitat Management Assistance (Gopher Tortoise) Grant, and the Gulf Coastal Plains Ecosystem Partnership (GCPEP) assistance
- Conducted 182 citizen assists concerning natural resources issues on private lands
- Managing Escambia County Brownfields Program through which eight Phase I ESAs, one Phase II ESA, the production of an Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives for the “Old Mosquito Control Facility” Brownfield site and acceptance of the site into the Petroleum Restoration Program through support from an EPA Cooperative Agreement
- Completed construction of the Perdido Bay Boat Ramp
Performance Measures
|
FY 2022/2023 Actual |
FY 2023/2024 Actual |
FY 2024/2025 Estimate |
FY 2025/2026 Estimate |
|
| Compliance with NPDES Stormwater Permit Monitoring Requirements | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Maintain Water Quality Lab Certification | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Comply with Grant Agreement Requirements | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Promote Professional Workforce with Required Continuing Education | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Respond to Mosquito Control Complaints within 48 hours | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Fiscal Accountability, No cost over-runs | 100% | 100% | 94% | 100% |
| Fully Utilize GCPEP Program Funding & Assistance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Reduce Wildfire Risk in Jones Swamp with Annual Burn and Fire Lane Maintenance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Provide Excellent Customer Satisfaction with Services Provided | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Conduct Air Particulate Monitoring at Concrete Crushing Facilities as Required by Permits | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Marine Resources Outreach Programs | Held 7 Events and Engaged with 1,050 People | Held 12 events and Engaged with 2,200 People | 12 Events and 2,000 People | 12 Events with 2,000 People |
| Manage Artificial Reef Sites as Permitted | 13 (Actual: 5 Permits and Constructed 119 Artificial Reefs) | 10 Sites; 3 Permits; Constructed 4 reefs | 10 Sites; 3 permits; Construct 30 reefs | 10 Sites; 4 Permits; Construct 5 reefs |
| Manage Boating Regulatory Zones | 14 (Actual 12) | 15 Zones | 15 Zones | 15 Zones |
Benchmarking
| Escambia County | Benchmark | Comparison | |
| FDEP Competitive Grant (Resilience Florida Implementation) | $58.33 per Capita | $61.03 | Statewide Average |
| FDEP Competitive Grant | $2.05 per Capita | $1.21 | Statewide Average |
| Vessel Registration | 16,663 | 18,162 | Bay County |
| Code Enforcement Annual Budget | 2,352,272 | $7,260,660 | Alachua County |
| Mosquito Control Annual Budget | 687,900 | $885,728.00 | Leon County |
| Conservation Lands (acres) managed by the Department | 2,449 | 21,700 | Alachua County |
Funding Priorities
| Major Issues Funded | Amount |
| Manage ongoing RESTORE, NFWF, NRDA, etc. Restoration Projects Examples: 11 Mile Creek Restoration, Beach Haven II, Little Sabine, Perdido Key Multiuse Path, Soar with RESTORE, Brownsville Incubator, Perdido Key Gulf of Mexico Access (design, property acquisition & construction), Workforce Development, Perdido Bay Boat Ramp, Beulah Master Plan, CRA Infrastructure (Complete Streets) (Design & Construction), Cantonment Community Center (design & Construction), CRA Community Center, Bob Sikes Fishing Pier, South Navy BLVD, Bayou Grande WMP, and OC Phillips | $109,055,531 |
| Manage ongoing Resilient Florida Project Examples: Eleven Mile Creek Floodplain Expansion Project, Greater Rolling Hills Stormwater Project, Beach Haven Phase II, Pensacola Bay NAS Living Shoreline Project | $16,220,030 |
| Construction of ADA Paddlecraft Access at Perdido Bay Boat Ramp | $220,000 |
| Establish Perdido Key Environmental Education Center | $400,000 |
| Water and Air Quality Monitoring and Lab Analysis funded through Interlocal Agreements & Interagency funding arrangements | $169,400 |
| Construction of New Artificial Reefs | $450,000 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Assessment Program | $300,000 |
| Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resiliency Planning | $601,500 |