Formal permit challenge: sign up now for official SWFWMD notice
The formal challenge period may be only 21 days—and could be shorter. Every concerned resident should request official notice now.
Sent to Save Tarpon Woods alert subscribers on . The newsletter wording below is preserved as sent; later information is labeled separately.
SWFWMD confirms receipt and file placement; the application remains under review.
What the General Counsel confirmed
SWFWMD General Counsel Christopher A. Tumminia confirmed that the District received William R. Nobles, Jr.’s October 8 emergency notice and prior Save Tarpon Woods submissions, reviewed them, and placed them in the file of record for Application 930235.
He stated that the application remains under review, that the District considers comment on the merits premature while that review is ongoing, and that any agency action will include notice of the rights available to substantially affected persons under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes.
What that acknowledgment does not decide: it is not an agency action, permit approval, denial, or technical determination. It did not state whether the requested field inspection, event-specific evidence preservation, or additional hydraulic review would occur.
What the public contact screen shows
As displayed October 9, SWFWMD’s WMIS application contact screen lists Save Tarpon Woods, attention William R. Nobles, with admin@SaveTarponWoods.com and Permit Mail Method: Email.
This is strong evidence that the District has associated Save Tarpon Woods and William R. Nobles with the application for email correspondence. Because the legal consequences of notice are significant, we are not treating the contact entry alone as conclusive proof that every separate agency-action-noticing requirement under section 120.60(3) has been satisfied.
Practical safeguard: continue monitoring email and spam folders, postal mail, the official application record, and any published notice. We are also seeking written confirmation that the section 120.60(3) request is recorded for Application 930235.
Formal permit challenge: sign up now for official SWFWMD notice
Inbox preview: The formal challenge period may be only 21 days—and could be shorter. Every concerned resident should request official notice now.
Dear Supporters,
The proposed Brooker Creek Mitigation Bank permit remains pending. No permit has been approved, and the formal administrative-hearing window does not presently appear to be open.
That does not mean we should wait.
Save Tarpon Woods is preparing a formal petition under Chapter 120, Florida Statutes, challenging any approval that is not supported by complete, reliable, site-specific evidence. Once SWFWMD issues or publishes notice of intended or final agency action, the time to respond will be extremely short.
Based on the application currently on file, we expect a 21-day deadline. A 14-day deadline generally applies when an ERP is consolidated with authorization to use state-owned submerged lands. Nevertheless, the actual Notice of Rights will control, and we will prepare as though only 14 days are available.
REQUEST OFFICIAL NOTICE TODAY
Every concerned resident should send an individual request to:
NoticingRequests@WaterMatters.org
Subject:
Agency Action Notice Request – Application 930235 / ERP 47575.002
Copy and paste this message:
Please treat this as my written request under section 120.60(3), Florida Statutes, to receive actual written notice of every intended, proposed, or final agency action concerning Application 930235 / ERP 47575.002, including any notice of intent, permit issuance or denial, agency-action package, permit conditions, and Notice of Rights.
Please confirm that this request has been recorded for this specific application and identify the email and mailing address at which notice will be served.
Name:
Mailing address:
Email address:
You may also register through SWFWMD’s official permit-noticing system:
https://www18.swfwmd.state.fl.us/support/notification/NotificationHome.aspx
Save your sent email and SWFWMD’s confirmation. Email communications with a Florida government agency may become public records.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
The address above is for requesting notice. It is not the address for filing the eventual legal petition.
SWFWMD expressly states that ordinary comments and objections are not Chapter 120 petitions. Our previous letters remain important evidence, but those letters alone do not preserve the right to an administrative hearing.
The formal petition must be filed with the SWFWMD Agency Clerk by hand delivery, mail, courier, or fax. SWFWMD does not accept legal petition filings by email.
THIS IS NOT A MASS-SIGNATURE PETITION
A Chapter 120 petition is a formal legal pleading, not an online petition or signature drive.
Save Tarpon Woods is preparing the core petition now. When the agency-action notice arrives, we will update it with the final permit conditions, later RAI materials, the exact notice date, and the final disputed facts.
A small number of residents with the strongest direct connections to the property may be included as named petitioners. Every named petitioner must individually demonstrate how the proposed permit could affect his or her substantial interests and must personally sign.
Other residents can provide essential support without becoming named petitioners.
WHAT WE NEED RESIDENTS TO PRESERVE
Please begin organizing:
- Dated photographs and videos of flooding, standing water, overbank conditions, blocked drainage, erosion, culverts, ditches, wetlands, and Brooker Creek;
- Records of flooding or drainage impacts affecting your home, street, access, work, or property;
- Official emails, letters, surveys, permits, engineering reports, and County or SWFWMD communications;
- Dated wildlife observations and photographs;
- A concise description of where you live, your proximity to the property, and how you use or depend upon the affected area;
- The original files—not screenshots or edited versions whenever originals are available.
If you receive any notice from SWFWMD concerning Application 930235, immediately preserve the complete email, attachments, headers, envelope, and postmark. Forward a copy to admin@SaveTarponWoods.com and state exactly when and how you received it.
WHY PREPARATION MATTERS
At a formal hearing, residents cannot rely solely upon suspicion or generalized opposition. Florida law places a serious evidentiary burden on a third-party petitioner challenging issuance. We must present competent, substantial evidence addressing flooding, hydrology, wetlands, credits, surveys, title, environmental conditions, financial assurance, long-term maintenance, and the permit’s other disputed components.
That is why Save Tarpon Woods is preparing now—before the clock starts.
Please take these four steps today:
- Request official notice from SWFWMD.
- Save SWFWMD’s confirmation.
- Begin preserving your original evidence.
- Forward this newsletter to every Tarpon Woods resident who may be affected.
We intend to use every lawful administrative remedy available to protect Brooker Creek, the surrounding wetlands, our homes, our wildlife, and this irreplaceable 172-acre landscape.
Standing together is important. Being prepared, timely, and supported by evidence is what gives that opposition legal force.
William R. Nobles, Jr.
Save Tarpon Woods
admin@SaveTarponWoods.com
www.SaveTarponWoods.com
The operative agency notice controls.
The archived newsletter is campaign guidance, not legal representation or a substitute for the eventual Notice of Rights. The filing deadline, filing address, required petition allegations, and method of service must be checked against the actual agency-action package when issued. Publication can affect deadline calculations, so do not wait for a later email if qualifying public notice appears first.
Privacy boundary: the public site describes the relevant Save Tarpon Woods contact entry but does not republish the full October 9 WMIS screenshot because it also displays unrelated third-party contact details.