Orlando airport parking provider seeks permit to bulldoze wetlands for expanded space
Park, Bark and Fly near Orlando International Airport got a negative response from Orange County officials Wednesday in seeking a permit to bulldoze more than two-dozen acres of wetlands for expanded parking space.
But that opposition from the county’s Development Review Committee amounted to guidance for a review of the matter, not yet scheduled, by the Orange County board of commissioners.
Park, Bark and Fly was fined $200,000 in 2017 by the state for wetlands violations. Last year, the privately owned parking company on the west side of State Road 46 near Hoffner Avenue was cited for additional destruction of wetlands and handed another $200,000 fine.
All “civil penalties” owed by Park, Bark and Fly have been paid, including various fees, for a total of $411,700, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District.
For their part, officials of Orange County, which enforces its own wetlands regulations, assessed an $80,000 fine and told the parking provider to restore 5.7 acres of wetlands that were bulldozed in 2017 without permission.
Park, Bark and Fly responded by applying for a permit that – after the fact – would approve the destruction of 5.7 acres of wetlands and approve the paving of another 25 acres of wetlands.
Park, Bark and Fly’s rationale is that the urban development in the area, dirty storm water, airplane traffic and invasive weeds have lessened the ecological value of the wetlands.
“You can’t stand out there for more than 30 seconds without a plane going over your head,” said John Miklos, the environmental consultant representing Park, Bark and Fly’s quest for a permit.
Until recently, Miklos had been the longtime, volunteer chairman of the St. Johns River Water Management District, whose staff was responsible for enforcement and fines for Park, Bark and Fly.
While the wetlands have degraded over time, according to Park, Bark and Fly representatives, the private parking provider has become a “service” to the fast-growing Orlando International Airport.
“There needs to be more space and I have it there,” said Park, Bark and Fly owner Peter Madison, urging the Development Review Committee to side with his request to expanding parking into a wetland area.
“I appreciate you guys looking at what we’ve done here to approve us to do what we need to do to support the airport in a better fashion,” Madison said.
Orange County’s Environmental Protection Division asserted that the wetlands proposed for bulldozing are not in pristine condition but have adjusted to changing water levels and have a
growth of bay, cypress, red maple and pine trees.
An inspection last week documented wetland features of “moss collars, lichen lines, adventitious roots, muck soil texture and other indicators that all take years to re-establish,” states a division report. “These features indicate the system has adjusted and exhibits normal parameters for wetland functionality.”
As compensation for having destroyed Orange County wetlands, Park, Bark and Fly would protect 60 acres of forest and 26 acres of wetlands 40 miles away in Volusia County.
Orange County staffers oppose that arrangement as not meeting county growth rules but must accept it under state law.