Two S&ME Professionals Present at Florida Chamber Foundation’s Environmental Permitting Summer School
July 25, 2018
Two senior professionals, Bruce Nocita, Ph.D., P.G., and Kirby Stallings, R.L.A., L.E.P., presented at the July 2018 Florida Chamber Foundation’s Environmental Permitting Summer School in Marco Island, Florida. The conference is hosted each year by the Florida Environmental Network, Inc. (FENI).
Bruce Nocita and co-author Larry Maron, P.E., presented a paper as part of a session on water quality permitting. The paper discusses S&ME’s ongoing work at Holcim limestone mine in Crystal River, Florida. It summarizes mine operations and continued surface water and groundwater monitoring performed as part of the mine’s Environmental Resource Permit. Holcim created an offshore island in one of the abandoned mine pits that provides littoral shelf, wetland, and upland habitats. The bulk of the presentation is about S&ME and the project team’s efforts to make the area hospitable to flora and fauna. The team continues to help with revegetation and monitoring.
Kirby Stallings participated in a panel discussion “Emerging Issues in Environmental Due Diligence” for his fourth consecutive year as a panelist at the conference. The panel discussion focused on trends and issues associated with commercial real estate due diligence. His presentation focused on the rising number of methamphetamine labs in the US and their potential environmental impacts.
The Environmental Permitting Summer School has been held for the past 31 consecutive years and has up to 850 attendees each year, including attorneys, consultants, engineers, government officials, developers, landowners, and others. The conference is part of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s mission to keep organizations and members informed of environmental and growth management regulations and to discuss innovative solutions to Florida’s environmental challenges.