CHARLOTTE COUNTY v. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT

Div of Admin Hearings

STATE OF FLORIDA DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS
CHARLOTTE COUNTY; PINELLAS COUNTY;
ENVIRONMENTAL CONFEDERATION OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, INC.;
DESOTO COUNTY; HARDEE COUNTY; POLK COUNTY;
G B S GROVES, INC., and CITRUS GROWER ASSOCIATES, INC.,

Petitioners,

vs.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT,

Respondent,

and

FLORIDA CITRUS MUTUAL and MANATEE COUNTY,

Intervenors.

CASE NO. 94-5742RP

A formal administrative hearing was conducted in these consolidated cases on February 27 - March 3, March 6-8, May 1-5, May 24-26, May 29 - June 2, June 5-9, July 6 and 7, July 10 and11, July 17-21, July 24-27, September 11-14, September 18-22, September 25-29, October 10-12, October 16-20, October 30 - November 2, and November 13-17, 1995, in Tampa, Florida, before J. Stephen Menton, an Administrative Law Judge1 of the Division of Administrative Hearings.

APPEARANCES

For Petitioner Charlotte County, Florida ("Charlotte"):

Chris H. Bentley, Esquire
Diane D. Tremor, Esquire
Martin S. Friedman, Esquire
Rose, Sundstrom & Bentley
2548 Blair Stone Pines Drive
Tallahassee, Florida 32301

Renee Francis Lee, Esquire
Charlotte County Attorney
18500 Murdock Circle
Port Charlotte, Florida 33948-1094

Douglas M. Wyckoff, Esquire
(withdrew as of August 21, 1995)
Bricklemyer, Smolker & Bolves, P.A.
111 East Madison Street, Suite 2400
Tampa, Florida 33602-4708

For Petitioner Pinellas County, Florida ("Pinellas"):

Edward de le Parte, Esquire
Michael A. Skelton, Esquire
David M. Caldevilla, Esquire
John R. Thomas, Esquire
Andrew Klymenko, Esquire
de la Parte, Gilbert & Bales, P.A.
Post Office Box 2350
Tampa, Florida 33601-2350

For Petitioners DeSoto County and Hardee County, Florida ("DeSoto" and "Hardee"):

Daniel P. Fernandez, Esquire
Laura A. Olson, Esquire
3820 Northdale Boulevard, Suite 312B
Tampa, Florida 33624

Kent A. Zaiser, Esquire
Post Office Box 6045
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-6045

Gary A. Vorbeck, Esquire
Vorbeck & Vorbeck, P.A.
207 East Magnolia Street
Arcadia, Florida 33821-4312

For Petitioner Polk County, Florida ("Polk"):

Mark F. Carpanini, Esquire
Timothy F. Campbell, Esquire
Mary E. Harlan, Esquire
Karla Foreman Wright, Esquire
Palmer C. Davis, Esquire
Office of Polk County Attorney
Post Office Box 60
Bartow, Florida 33830

For Petitioners G B S Groves, Inc. and Citrus Grower Associates, Inc. ("G B S" and "Citrus Grower"):

J.T. Griffiths, President
G B S Groves, Inc.
2930 Winter Lake Road
Lakeland, Florida 33893

For Petitioner Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, Inc. ("ECOSWF"):

David G. Guest, Esquire
Dean E. Aldrich, Esquire
Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund
Post Office Box 1329
Tallahassee, Florida 32302

For Respondent Southwest Florida Water Management District ("District"):

James A. Robinson, Esquire
Richard Tschantz, Esquire
Karen A. Lloyd, Esquire
Southwest Florida Water Management District
2379 Broad Street
Brooksville, Florida 34609-6899

John Wilcox, Esquire
Connie Harvey, Esquire
Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson
Post Office Box 3273
Tampa, Florida 33601-3273

Stanley J. Niego, Esquire
Prosperity Bank Building
100 Southpark Boulevard, Suite 405
St. Augustine, Florida 32086

For Intervenor Florida Citrus Mutual ("Florida Citrus"):

Joseph J. Gleason, Esquire
Vice President/Staff Legal Counsel
Florida Citrus Mutual
Post Office Box 89
Lakeland, Florida 33802-0089

For Intervenor Manatee County, Florida ("Manatee"):

H. Hamilton Rice, Jr., Esquire
Jeffrey N. Steinsnyder, Esquire
Office of Manatee County Attorney
Post Office Box 1000
Bradenton, Florida 34206

The primary issue in these consolidated cases is whether the proposed Southern Water Use Caution Area ("SWUCA") rules of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (the "District") constitute an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority. Also at issue in the proceedings is the validity of certain portions of the District's existing water use permitting rules contained in Chapter 40D-2, Florida Administrative Code ("F.A.C."), and the "Basis of Review for Water Use Permit Applications" that the District has adopted by reference in Rule 40D-2.091, F.A.C. Finally, certain policies allegedly utilized by the District in its water use permitting program have been challenged as unpromulgated rules in contravention of Section 120.535, Florida Statutes (1993) ("F.S.").