[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 2757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00630]



[[Page 2757]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2019-N004; FXES11140400000-178-FF04EF2000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for Sand Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical 
Exclusion

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and information.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from Ernie Caldwell Properties, LLC (applicant) for 
an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink 
incidental to construction in Polk County, Florida. We request public 
comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed 
habitat conservation plan (HCP) and the Service's preliminary 
determination that this HCP qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically 
excluded under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this 
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, both of which are also available for public 
review.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before February 18, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents by any 
of the following methods:
     Telephone: Alfredo Begazo, 772-469-4234.
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. mail: Alfredo Begazo, South Florida Ecological 
Services Office, Attn. Sunbeam Properties, Inc. Permit TE54008D-0, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559.
     In-person: The documents may be reviewed by appointment 
during regular business hours at the above address. Please call to make 
an appointment.
     Fax: Alfredo Begazo, 772-562-4288, Attn: Permit number 
TE54008D-0.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing via the above email address, U.S. 
mail address, or fax number, or you may hand-deliver comments to the 
above address during regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by U.S. mail (see 
ADDRESSES), or via phone at 772-469-4234. Individuals who are hearing 
impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-
877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce 
receipt of an application from Ernie Caldwell Properties, LLC 
(applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink 
(Neoseps reynoldsi) incidental to the construction of a residential 
development project in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment 
on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat 
conservation plan (HCP) and the Service's preliminary determination 
that this HCP qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically excluded under 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 
To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement 
and low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for 
public review.

Project

    Ernie Caldwell Properties, LLC, requests a 10-year ITP to take sand 
skink by converting approximately 7.81 acres of occupied skink foraging 
and sheltering habitat incidental to construction of a residential 
development on a 122.57-acre parcel in Section 15, Township 26 South, 
Range 27 East, Polk County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate 
for take of the sand skink by purchasing credits equivalent to 15.62 
acres of skink-occupied habitat from a Service-approved mitigation bank 
in Polk County. The Service would be required to purchase the credits 
prior to engaging in any phase of the project.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that 
your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--
may be made available to the public. While you may request that we 
withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee 
that we will be able to do so.

Our Preliminary Determination

    The Service has made a preliminary determination that the 
applicant's project, including land clearing, construction of the 
residential development, and the proposed mitigation measure, would 
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the 
sand skink and the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily 
concluded that the ITP for this project would qualify for categorical 
exclusion and the HCP would be low effect under our NEPA regulations at 
43 CFR 46.205 and 46.210. A low-effect HCP is one that would result in 
(1) minor or negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and 
candidate species and their habitats; (2) minor or negligible effects 
on other environmental values or resources; and (3) impacts that, when 
considered together with the impacts of other past, present, and 
reasonable foreseeable similarly situated projects, would not result in 
significant cumulative effects to environmental values or resources 
over time.

Next Steps

    The Service will evaluate the application and the comments to 
determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also conduct 
an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA to 
evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the 
preceding findings, we will determine whether the permit issuance 
criteria of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the 
Service will issue ITP number TE54008D-0 to Ernie Caldwell Properties, 
LLC for incidental take of sand skink.

Authority

    The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 
1539(c)) of the ESA and NEPA regulation 40 CFR 1506.6.

Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-00630 Filed 1-15-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P