Subject:
Title
BOCC Letter to the FDEP to Request Reconsideration of Venue and Format of Public Engagement Meeting re: Blue Origin Permit Renewal
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Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Dept/Office:
District 1
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board of Commissioners authorize Chairman Altman to sign the attached letter to the FDEP on behalf of the board.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
On December 2, 2025, the Board of Commissioners voted to request that the FDEP conduct a public meeting regarding Draft Permit FL0A00007-002-IW7A submitted by Blue Origin, LLC.
Subsequent to this meeting, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has scheduled a public meeting for January 30 regarding the proposed renewal of Blue Origin's industrial wastewater discharge permit. FDEP has indicated its intent to conduct the meeting in an open-house format at the UF/IFAS Extension Center in Cocoa at 3695 Lake Drive.
Given the significant level of public interest in this permit and its potential implications for the Indian River Lagoon and surrounding communities, commissioners have raised concerns regarding the adequacy of the proposed meeting format and venue. Specifically, concerns have been expressed about limited capacity, parking constraints, the lack of livestream capability, and the open-house format's ability to ensure consistent information sharing and meaningful public participation.
Individual commissioners and Senator Debbie Mayfield have communicated these concerns to FDEP and requested reconsideration of both the meeting format and location. FDEP has indicated that it has historically utilized an open-house format for regulatory meetings and has not committed to changes at this time.
The proposed letter before the commissioners formally requests that FDEP leadership reconsider the January 30 meeting logistics by relocating the meeting to a larger venue capable of accommodating anticipated attendance and livestreaming, and by util...
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