Goal 6. Conserve,
protect and appropriately manage the natural resources of the City of Rockledge
to insure the highest environmental quality possible.
Goal.
The long-term end toward which programs or activities are ultimately directed.
Policy 6.3.1. The city shall sponsor a biological survey of natural habitats within municipal limits to identify areas of suitable habitat for listed species, and to the size and viability of those populations which do occur.
Policy
6.3.2. Areas known to support listed species, or which provide suitable habitat
for listed species, shall be given priority consideration in the acquisition of
public parks or preserves. Any such
park shall be managed in a manner consistent with preservation of the listed
species or its habitat.
Policy
6.3.3. The city shall seek the cooperation of government and private
conservation agencies in the preservation of lands which harbor listed species
or their habitat.
Policy
6.3.4. Development approval in areas which have been identified as providing
suitable habitat for listed species shall be contingent upon the formulation of
a management plan which would limit adverse affects to any listed species which
occur of are discovered on the development site.
Policy
6.3.5. The city shall consult with the FGFWFC and or the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection (FDEP) in the review of listed species management plans
prepared by private developers, and shall implement the recommendations of those
agencies in the issuance of development orders to the greatest extent
practicable.
Policy
6.4.2. Areas of natural habitat within the 100-year flood plain shall be given
priority consideration in the identification of lands which are publicly
acquired to address passive recreational demand and open space objectives.
Policy
6.4.3 In order to reduce the adverse consequences of flood plain development and
simultaneously encourage the conservation of natural habitat, the city shall
evaluate revising its flood damage prevention ordinance to limit construction
within the floodplain through the provision of compensatory storage for fill
placed within the 100-year floodplain.
Policy
6.4.4. The City shall require that
natural vegetative communities be preserved intact (including canopy trees,
shrub and herbaceous-layer vegetation) in order to satisfy the requirements of
open space regulations used in development site-plan approval, except where such
preservation would be inappropriate, would conflict with the public interest or
would cause undue hardship. Special emphasis should be given to protection of
vegetative communities which:
(a)
may
provide habitat for species listed by the USFWS, FGFWFC or FNAI as endangered,
threatened, rare or species of special concern;
(b) are themselves considered
endangered in State, regional or local habitat inventories; or
(c) occur within the 100 year
flood plain.
Policy 6.4.5.
The city shall encourage the protection of natural vegetative communities
and wildlife habitat by private property owners through donations.
Also, consideration shall be given to other protective measures
including, but not limited to, transfers of development rights, purchase of
development rights, conservation easements or other less-than-fee simple
mechanisms.
Policy
6.4.6. The city shall seek the
assistance of private and public agencies, including but not limited to the
Florida Department of Natural Resources, the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish
Commission, the St. Johns River water Management District, The Nature
Conservancy, The Trust for Public Lands, and Brevard County, in protecting
natural vegetative communities through purchase of less-than-fee simple
agreements.
Policy
6.4.7. The city shall not approve
any development which proposes to destroy natural vegetative communities known
to provide habitat to listed species until the developer has submitted a
management plan which, in the opinion of the FGFWFC and/or FDEP, limits adverse
affects on the species to the greatest extent practicable.
Policy 6.4.8. The city shall not approve any development which would significantly and adversely alter the ecological functions of fresh water wetlands or deep water habitat. Ecological functions include : (a) provision of wildlife and fisheries habitat: (b) maintainance of in-stream flows and lake levels during periods of high and/or low rainfall: (c) erosion control: and (d) water quality enhancement.
Policy
6.8.2. Developers shall be encouraged to incorporate those portions of sites
which are within the 100-year flood plain as open space preservation, where
practicable.
Policy
6.8.3. The city shall promote wetlands preservation and non-structural
floodplain management by encouraging the use of isolated wetlands to as
detention areas, where such use is consistent with good engineering practice and
does not significantly degrade the ecological value of wetlands.
Pre-treatment of stormwater runoff by diversion of the “first flush”
shall be considered to adequately protect wetlands from degradation.
Policy
6.8.4. The city shall consider the public acquisition of portions of 100-year
floodplain areas to meet the multiple objectives of non-structural floodplain
management, recreation and wildlife habitat preservation.
Where possible, less-than-fee simple mechanism shall be used to protect
floodplains from development.
Policy
6.8.5. The city shall solicit the participation of other public and private
agencies, including but not limited to the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission, the St. Johns River
Water Management District, the Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Lands
and Brevard County, in acquiring floodplains.
Chapter 7
RECREATION
AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT
Policy
7.3.3
of the 1990 Rockledge Comprehensive Plan states: The city should adopt
regulations requiring the dedication of park land or fees in lieu thereof by all
new residential developments to insure that future park sites are developed to
meet the demand for recreational activities associated with their residential
developments.
Chapter
9
CAPITOL
IMPROVEMENTS ELEMENT
Policy
9.2.1
City Staff will recommend to the City Council only those land use decisions,
which are consistent with the Future Land Use Element and the overall intent of
the Comprehensive Plan.
Chapter
12
Open
Spaces.
Undeveloped lands suitable for passive recreation or conservation uses.
(1)
Species
in which most or all populations are decreasing because of over exploitation,
habitat loss, or other factors:
(2)
Species
whose populations have already been heavily depleted by deleterious conditions
and which, while not actually endangered, are nevertheless in a critical state;
and
(3)
Species
which may still be relatively abundant but are being subjected to serious
adverse pressures throughout their range.
Wildlife
corridor.
A special case of “habitat corridor,” in which the primary purpose of the
biological connection between preserves is to allow the movement of individual
animals in their search for food or mates.
Such connections are not necessarily “roadways for animals,” but may
instead serve to allow the long-term cross-breeding between scattered
populations, or allow colonization of habitat which is unutilized by a
particular species. The terms “habitat corridor” and “wildlife corridor”
are usually used interchangeably and meant to be synonymous, since “wildlife
Corridors” connections for specific species of large wildlife will also
provide the functions implicit in “habitat corridors”
Rare
or endangered ecosystem.
A natural, native ecological community type which due to its limited
distribution, small area extent or rate of disappearance/modification is in
danger of being lost as a viable component of the natural landscape.
Includes those natural community types assigned state element ranks of S1
or S2, or which are identified by the FGFWFC, FDEP, or RPC as rare or endangered
on the basis of quantitative habitat inventories.
Viable.
With respect to natural vegetative community or ecosystem, means that the
community:
(1)
Possesses
the flora characteristic of the community type;
(2)
That
there are no non-native species among the dominant plants which comprise the
community;
(3)
Alterations
or modifications to the community, other than the fact of isolation, have not
been so extreme as to eliminate or severely diminish the value of the community
as fish and/or wildlife habitat; and
(4)
The
community, under the proper conditions or management (e.g., occasional
controlled burning), is capable of maintaining a stable existence as a community
type.
Native
Vegetation.
Trees, shrubs, herbs, and other plants, which are indigenous to the State
of Florida, and were not introduced by man.
Natural
Community. A naturally
occurring ecological association of native plants and animals found in the State
of Florida.
Native
Wildlife. Those animals to
include all species of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and
invertebrates, which are indigenous to the State of Florida, and were not
introduced by man.
Species
of Special Concern. Species
which are not threatened or endangered, yet warrant special attention because
they are: (1) species that although they are perhaps relatively abundant and
widespread in the State, are especially vulnerable to certain types of
exploitation or environmental changes and have experienced long-term population
declines, or (2) species whose status in Florida has a potential impact on other
endangered or threatened populations of same or other species, both within or
outside the State. For example, although the gopher tortoise (Gopherus
ployphemus) is relatively abundant, it has been listed as a Species of Special
Concern (SSC) by the FGFWFC because its abundance may affect that of several
endangered, threatened or SSC species (indigo snake, gopher frog, Florida mouse)
which share its burrows in a communal relationship.