| | | | | | | |  | ITEM 2.
Natural Resources - Administrative Agenda |
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| | | | | | | | | DATE: | October 2, 2018
| | DEPARTMENT: | Natural Resources
| | REQUESTER: | Roland Ottolini
| | TITLE: | Approve Cooperative Agreement with the South Florida Water Management District |
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| | | | | | | | | I. | MOTION REQUESTED | | |
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Approve execution of the Cooperative Agreement to allow the South Florida Water Management District (District) to assume the responsibility for maintenance of designated primary watercourses, which have significant impact upon the water resources in the District and Lee County (County)
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Authorize the Chairman of the Board to sign the Cooperative Agreement
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Also designate the Director of the Division of Natural Resources to fulfill the function of Project Manager for the oversight as identified in the proposed Cooperative Agreement
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| | | | | | | | | II. | ITEM SUMMARY | | | Approval of the Cooperative Agreement will allow the District to take over maintenance of specific watercourses in Lee County including, but not limited to, removal of vegetation, debris or other types of obstructions. Lee County will be responsible for providing to the District water management easements where available to maintain the watercourses described in the Agreement. Yearly, the County and the District will perform an annual planning meeting to establish a prioritized list of projects for the coming year.
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| | | | | | | | | III. | BACKGROUND AND IMPLICATIONS OF ACTION |
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| | | | | | | | | | A) | Board Action and Other History | | | | The South Florida Water Management District is an independent taxing authority, created by the Florida Legislature and given those powers and responsibilities enumerated in Chapter 373 of Florida Statutes. The District raises revenue from residents of Lee County in support of its mission. |
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| | | | | | | | | | B) | Policy Issues | | | | The District has the statutory authority through Chapter 373, Florida Statutes to maintain watercourses within Lee County. The District and Lee County have determined that each party would benefit from this Memorandum. |
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| | | | | | | | | | C) | BoCC Goals | | | | The BoCC has consistently advocated for improvements to flood protection throughout the County. After rainfall events in 2017 that adversely impacted thousands of Lee County residents, the BoCC determined that additional assistance from the District was needed to improve maintenance of watercourses in the County to improve flood protection. |
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| | | | | | | | | | D) | Analysis | | | | The District is responsible for flood control within the 16-county area of central and South Florida. Much of this activity is performed routinely by operating and maintaining the Central and South Florida System. While Lee County does not have a canal system similar to Counties on the East Coast, the County does have natural systems that need regular maintenance.
Approval of the agreement will provide a level of service to the County that is more comparable to other areas of the District, and elevate their activities in the County and provide heightened flood control.
Exhibit A of the Cooperative Agreement is a list of the delineated watercourses the District will maintain. Each year the County will meet with the District to discuss and agree upon the particular sites to be addressed in the upcoming year. Attached, is a draft work plan for the next year that was negotiated with the District. It is provided as background information only. |
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| | | | | | | | | | A) | Current year dollar amount of item:
| No funding required. | | | B) | Is this item approved in the current budget? | | | | C) | Is this a revenue or expense item? | | | | D) | Is this Discretionary or Mandatory? | Discretionary | | | E) | Will this item impact future budgets?
If yes, please include reasons in III(D) above.
| | | | F) | Fund:
Program:
Project:
Account Strings: | | | G) | Fund Type? | | | | H) | Comments:
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| | | | | | | | | VI. | TIMING/IMPLEMENTATION | | | The project will begin upon approval of the BoCC and the Governing Board of the District. |
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| REVIEWERS: | | Department | Reviewer | Action | Date | | Natural Resources | Ottolini, Roland | Rejected | 9/5/2018 - 10:31 AM | | Natural Resources | Westberry, Bruce | Approved | 9/5/2018 - 10:32 AM | | Natural Resources | Ottolini, Roland | Rejected | 9/5/2018 - 12:43 PM | | Natural Resources | Westberry, Bruce | Approved | 9/5/2018 - 12:47 PM | | Natural Resources | Ottolini, Roland | Approved | 9/5/2018 - 12:49 PM | | Budget Services | Guttery, Angela | Approved | 9/5/2018 - 3:53 PM | | Budget Services | Winton, Peter | Approved | 9/6/2018 - 8:13 AM | | County Attorney | Fredyma, John J. | Approved | 9/7/2018 - 2:56 PM | | County Manager | Harner, David | Approved | 9/10/2018 - 11:19 AM |
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