The Okeechobee Service Center (OKS) area includes Okeechobee and Glades counties, along with a portion of Highlands County. Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) applications and Works of the District (WOD) permit applications are reviewed by Service Center staff. Water Use applications are reviewed by staff in the District headquarters. Right-of-Way permit applications are reviewed by District staff located in the Okeechobee Field Station.
Okeechobee Staff- A full list of regulatory employees (and others) working out of this Service Center.
Environmental Resource Permits (ERP) are the District’s means of protecting the movement and quality of water resource by regulating the management and storage of surface waters and the dredging/filling of wetlands. Environmental Resource Permits are typically required for all projects which involve construct of an urban or rural facility that will alter or divert surface water runoff; encroach on a floodplain or disrupt existing wetlands; change the point of discharge of an existing surface water management system; or create or construct a mitigation bank. In addition to the requirements of Section 40E of the Florida Administrative Code; projects within the Okeechobee service area must also comply with the Lake Okeechobee Protection Act.
The District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) have an Operating Agreement where SFWMD will process ERP permits for particular projects, based on the type of land use. If you are building a single family home, the ERP application will typically be reviewed by the DEP. Please contact District staff if you have any questions about the ERP requirements or which agency would be reviewing your application.
Lake Okeechobee Works of the District (WOD) permits are issued to limit the amount of phosphorus coming from land parcels that drain to Lake Okeechobee. The District is currently in the process of updating Chapter 40E-61 which provides authorization and the requirements for the issuance of these permits. The applications for the WOD permits are reviewed by the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Assessment (LOWA) staff.
Big Cypress Basin
Permitting
