2012 FDOT Mitigation Plan - Southwest Florida Water Management ...

3. Location map and design drawings of existing and proposed conditions. Refer to Figure A (location map),
Figure B (existing habitat conditions), and Figures C-E (proposed conditions). Construction plan details are
available from Pinellas County and FDOT Mitigation Program Manager.
4. Schedule for work implementation, including any and all phases. Refer to previous implementation
discussion.
5. Success criteria and associated maintenance & monitoring plan. Refer to Attachment B.
Mobbly Bayou - Attachment A – Background, Site Conditions & Proposed Activities
The Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve is located along the northern portion of Tampa Bay, a designated
Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) priority waterbody. The Preserve covers approximately
383 acres in northeastern Pinellas County and borders the northwestern boundary of Hillsborough County. The
Preserve is managed jointly by the City of Oldsmar and Pinellas County, with the County managing 307 acres of
ecosystem benefits, and approximately 76 acres in the northern portion managed by the City of Oldsmar as
recreational areas. The Preserve is also located within the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve, and approximately
200 acres has been targeted for restoration, enhancement, and/or creation of habitats that will benefit the
Preserve, Mobbly Bayou, and Tampa Bay.
The project planning, evaluation and design included many years of discussions between various entities
including but not limited to Pinellas County, SWFWMD – SWIM, FDEP, FDEP Aquatic Preserve Program, U.S.
Geological Survey, and various members of the public. Consensus was reached that major elements of
ecosystem restoration and management of Mobbly Bayou are in need of attention. Therefore, the objectives of
this effort include:
• Ecosystem restoration of the bayou, inclusive of subtidal, intertidal, transitional, and upland habitats,
should be accomplished where possible, using a "habitat mosaic" ecosystem restoration approach. In the
case of the Preserve, habitat mosaics are defined as assemblages of habitats normally found in
coastal/estuarine ecosystems, encompassing upland transitional, intertidal, subtidal, and freshwater
habitats.
• Restoration/enhancement of intertidal habitat, including an investigation of the historic and existing
hydrological impacts resulting from large-scale ditching for mosquito control on salt-marsh and saltern
habitat within the Preserve with a strategic examination of likely targets for mosquito ditch filling/blocking
to achieve the greatest ecological benefit.
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