House Passes Bean Amendment Protecting Florida from Federal Overreach

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (FL-04) released the following statement praising the House of Representatives’ passage of his amendment to codify Florida’s 404 Permitting Program, as part of H.R. 3898, the PERMIT Act.

Ahead of the vote, Congressman Bean spoke on the House floor in support of his amendment.

Congressman Bean said, “For too long, anyone trying to build anything in the free state of Florida has faced nothing but Washington bureaucracy. My amendment rightfully returns permitting to the state and allows Florida the flexibility to make the decisions that are best for us. State-run permitting programs reduce project costs and save taxpayer dollars, all while improving responsiveness to applicants and the communities’ projects they serve. I’m grateful to my colleagues for standing with me to demand accountability and make clear that any federal process must respect Florida’s right to manage its own resources responsibly.”

BACKGROUND

• In 2018, Florida’s Legislature passed a bill that gave the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) authority to begin the public rulemaking process to better protect the state's wetlands and surface waters by assuming the federal dredge and fill permitting program under section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act within certain waters. 
   
• The State 404 Program is responsible for overseeing permitting for any project proposing dredge or fill activities within state-assumed waters.
   
• On Feb. 15, 2024, a federal judge issued an order divesting the DEP of its authority to issue State 404 Program permits in Florida. 
   
• More than 1,000 State 404 permit applications were pending before DEP and are presently on hold. Beyond large-scale development projects, this decision directly impeded efforts to review and authorize a wide range of 404 permit applications that benefit the environment and the public.

A copy of Congressman Bean’s amendment can be found HERE.

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