Lisa Barton

The Ponte Vedra Realtor Council is a social/educational organization that hosts four meetings a year for real estate agents in Ponte Vedra Beach. As the Chairman this year, one of my responsibilities is to arrange speakers for our group. Today's speakers were Janet Herrick and Adam Hoyles of Onsite Environmental Consulting. OSE assists property owners and potential buyers by conducting site assessments for wetland delineation, environmental permitting, listed species studies, dock permitting, water quality monitoring, etc. They work closely with many of the regulatory organizations to help property owners understand how their property can (and cannot) be developed. Both Janet and Adam were dynamic speakers and, fortunately, there was time for real estate agents to ask questions about specific issues. 

Here are a couple highlights from their presentation:

1. What are wetlands and why are they important?

• Act as filtering agents, remove toxins and excess nutrients from the water.
• Stabilize the shoreline and provide flood protection.
• In hurricanes, they reduce the storm surge.
• Illegal to dredge or fill without a permit.
• You can hand clear a wetland, but not root rake it.
• You cannot plant sod in a wetland.

2. What are conservation easements and what rules govern them?

• A restrictive easement that allows for natural uses only.
• A protected area for conservation use to ensure habitat for wildlife, protection of wetlands and water quality.
• Governed by a Water Management District if in a subdivision, or by the Department of Environmental Protection if property is a single family lot not associated with a subdivision.
• You cannot cut down any plants, clear the property or plant sod.

Onsite Environmental Consulting's offices are located in Jacksonville and they also consult in St. Johns County, Nassau County, and Clay County.