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

REGIONAL MITIGATION PLAN
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Mitigation Project: Alligator Lake Management Area Project Number: SW 87
Project Sponsor: Pinellas County Environmental Management
County: Pinellas
Location: Sec. 3, 4, 9,10, T29S, R16E
IMPACT INFORMATION
(1) FM 2569311 – Gandy Blvd. (SR 694) – US 19 to 4 th Street (Undetermined) ERP #: __________ COE
#:______________
(2) FM 4209331 – Dale Mabry Ave. – Veteran's Expressway to US 41 (2021) ERP #: __________ COE
#:______________
Drainage Basin(s): Tampa Bay Drainage Basin Water Body(s): Bullfrog Ck., Little Bullfrog Ck. SWIM water
body? No
MITIGATION ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Mitigation Type: Creation, restoration and enhancement
Mitigation Area: 34 acres
SWIM project? Y Aquatic Plant Control project? N Exotic Plant Control Project? Y
Mitigation Bank? N Drainage Basin(s): Tampa Bay Drainage Basin Water Body(s): Alligator Lake, Tampa Bay
SWIM water body? Y, Tampa Bay
Project Description
A. Overall project goal: The Alligator Lake Management Area is a 53-acre preserve owned and managed by
Pinellas County (Figure A – Location Map). The preserve includes two parcels bordering the 70-acre Alligator
Lake. The project goal includes the substantial enhancement, restoration and creation of appropriate wetland and
upland habitats within a 34-acre portion of the preserve. This is a particularly valuable and important opportunity
to provide ecological benefits for wildlife since the habitat value has been degraded by extensive coverage of
exotic and nuisance species, and the majority of surrounding property is dominated by residential land use. The
habitat improvements will provide more opportunities for wildlife use within the Preserve as well as Alligator
Lake, and provide water quality treatment and attenuation of contributing basin runoff before discharging into
Alligator Lake and Tampa Bay.
B. Brief description of pre-construction condition: The project includes proposed improvements to habitats
within the eastern half (22.7 acres) of the "North Parcel" and the entire "South Parcel" (8.7 acres) that border
Alligator Lake (refer to Figure B). Habitats include upland shrub, live oak hammock, mixed wetland hardwoods,
willow shrub wetlands, cabbage palm, exotic wetland forest, and marsh habitat (Figure B – Existing Land Use).
Within the upland shrub habitats (total 8.7 acres), the County conducted an initial eradication of some dense
Brazilian pepper in 2004; resulting in the generation and establishment of predominantly invasive nuisance
species such as ragweed, saltbush, and euthamia (refer to photos). The largest and least disturbed habitat in the
project area includes live oak hammocks (total 9.3 acres) within the north parcel. The hammock borders mixed
forested wetlands (total 3.9 acres) that have dominant cover provided by water oak with scattered swamp bay
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