A general permit is granted to the owner of an individual,
detached, private single-family residence to construct, alter, operate,
maintain, and remove floating vessel platforms or floating boat lifts
("platforms or lifts") at their residence, under the following
conditions:
(1) Platforms and lifts
are authorized only at a dock or along a seawall associated with an individual,
detached, private single-family residence on the contiguous uplands. For
purposes of this general permit, an individual, detached, single-family
residence does not include duplexes, triplexes or quadruplexes.
(2) The dock or seawall must meet one of the
following:
(a) It was built prior to July 1,
1975;
(b) It complies with a permit
issued under Chapter 403, F.S., or Part IV of Chapter 373, F.S., or
(c) It was built in accordance with an
exemption under Section
403.813(1),
F.S.
(3) The platforms
and lifts:
(a) Shall not be located within an
aquatic preserve as designated and described in Chapter 258, F.S., or within
federally designated critical habitat for Johnson's seagrass (Halophila
johnsonii);
(b) Shall be
limited in size as follows:
1. If built in
artificial waters and residential canal systems, the platforms and lifts must
not cumulatively exceed 1, 000 square feet. "Cumulatively" means either alone
or in combination with any other platforms or lifts along the person's
shoreline.
2. If built within
Outstanding Florida Waters, the platforms or lifts must not cumulatively exceed
300 square feet along the person's shoreline.
3. If built in waters other than those listed
above, the platforms and lifts must not cumulatively exceed 675 square feet
along the person's shoreline.
(c) Shall not be located over submerged
grassbeds, attached macroalgae, coral communities, or wetlands;
(d) Shall be used solely for the purpose of
storing a vessel or vessels, such that the vessel or vessels are stored out of
the water at all times when not in use;
(e) Shall not be added to structures or
located in areas where boat mooring is specifically prohibited under a permit
issued under either Chapter 403, or Part IV of Chapter 373, F.S., or an
authorization under Chapter 253 or 258, F.S.; and,
(4) If located within submerged lands owned
by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, the following
additional conditions must also be met to qualify for consent to use and occupy
such lands under Chapter 253, F.S.
(a) The
platforms and lifts must be installed, operated and maintained in conformance
with all the applicable terms and conditions of subsections
18-21.004(3) and
(7), F.A.C., (March 12, 2012), and rule
18-21.0041, F.A.C. (March 23,
2012);
(b) The platforms and lifts
must not extend more than 25 percent into the width of the waterway, as
measured from approximate mean high water to approximate mean high water in
tidal waters, or from approximate ordinary high water to approximate ordinary
high water in non-tidal waters;
(c)
Platforms and lifts located on any lands under the jurisdiction or management
of the Department's Division of Recreation and Parks must have prior written
approval by the Division of Recreation and Parks, and such approval must be
submitted with the notice to use this general
permit.
