| |
The Process
The objective of the EFS is to collaboratively engage major stakeholders in jointly assessing the feasibility of improvements to SR 40 between Silver Springs in Marion County and US 17 in Volusia County. This study is being developed in three phases: Preliminary Assessment, Strategy Development, and Agreement Seeking. The findings of the first phase are documented in the Phase I document, State Road 40 Environmental Feasibility Study—Phase I—Preliminary Assessment, which was produced in 2002.
A strategy will be developed through a SR 40 Collaborative Process. The strategy will be used to address future transportation needs and environmental issues in the Greater Ocala National Forest. The Collaborative Process has three major elements: Sponsors, Task Force, and Consultant Team. The sponsors are led by FDOT’s District Five and include the US Forest Service (USFS), Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). These agencies have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (Phase II MOA), which states the conditions for the process and their participation.
The SR 40 Collaborative Task Force includes representatives from the sponsoring agencies as well as several other state and federal planning and permitting agencies. In addition, the Task Force will include a wide representation of elected officials and representatives of local and regional government, and representatives of environmental groups, local businesses, and residents. In all, there are 33 Task Force members.
The SR 40 EFS is being developed by a team of experienced professionals under the direction of FDOT to conduct the study, facilitate the Collaborative Process, and provide recommendations at key junctures of the option and agreement seeking phases. (see graphic on the SR 40 Collaborative Process). The project team consists of Florida Atlantic University’s Catanese Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions, acting as subconsultant to Prosser Hallock, Inc., planning and engineering consultants to the FDOT, and in partnership with the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium, a neutral service institute created by the Florida Legislature and housed in the state’s universities, and Holland & Knight Consulting, a national consulting firm with extensive experience facilitating discussions of environmental issues with public agencies.
For more information about the SR 40 EFS and the Collaborative Process you may use the underlined links in the text above or use the menu buttons in the left column. You can contact us by clicking on the "Contact Us" button on the top right corner of any page on this site.
|
