Notice2025-17554
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-tailed Mole Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
Primary source
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Published
September 11, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Lennar Homes (Smokey Groves) (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the construction of a mixed density residential development in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Nation Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Department Manual (DM). To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement for HCPs, which is available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 174 (Thursday, September 11, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 174 (Thursday, September 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44090-44091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17554]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-0082; FXES11140400000-256-FF04EF4000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-tailed Mole
Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Lennar Homes (Smokey Groves) (applicant) for an
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened sand
skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the construction of a
mixed density residential development in Polk County, Florida. We
request public comment on the application, which includes the
applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the
Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action
may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Nation
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Interior's (DOI)
NEPA regulations, and the DOI Department Manual (DM). To make this
preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA
statement for HCPs, which is available for public review. We invite
comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before October 14,
2025.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The documents this notice announces, as well
as any comments and other materials that we receive, will be available
for public inspection online in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-0082; at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by one of the following methods:
<bullet> Online: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-0082;
<bullet> U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2025-0082; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Gawera, by U.S. mail (see
ADDRESSES), by telephone at 904-404-2464 or via email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#583d2a3136073f392f3d2a39183e2f2b763f372e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8beef9e2e5d4eceafceef9eacbedfcf8a5ece4fd">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from Lennar Homes (Smokey Groves)
(applicant) for an ITP under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant requests the ITP
to take federally listed sand skinks (Neopseps (=Plestiodon) reynoldsi)
and blue-tailed mole skinks (Eumeces egregius lividus) (skinks)
incidental to the construction and operation of a mixed density
residential development in Polk County, Florida. We request public
comment on the application, which includes the applicant's HCP, and on
the Service's preliminary determination that this proposed ITP may
qualify for a categorical exclusion pursuant to NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), DOI's NEPA regulations (43 CFR part 46), and the DOI's
Departmental Manual (516 DM 8.5(C)(2)). To make this preliminary
determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement
for HCPs, both of which are available for public review.
Proposed Project
The applicant requests a 15-year ITP to take skinks via the
conversion of approximately 9.71 acres (ac) of occupied nesting,
foraging, and sheltering skink habitat incidental to the construction
and operation of a mixed density residential development on 279.50-acs,
Parcel #s 28-28-17-000000-033000, 28-28-18-000000-010000, 28-28-08-
000000-044030, and 28-28-07-000000-022010 in Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17 &
18, Township 28 South, Range 28 East, Polk County, Florida. The
applicant proposes to mitigate for take of the skinks by purchasing
credits equivalent to 19.42 ac of skink-occupied habitat within a
Service-approved conservation bank. The Service would require the
applicant to purchase the credits prior to engaging in any phase of the
project.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that reasonably
foreseeable effects of the applicant's proposed project, including the
construction of the buildings and associated infrastructure (i.e.,
electric, water, and sewer lines), would have a minor effect on the
skinks and the human environment, and no extraordinary circumstances in
43 CFR 43.215 apply. Reasonably foreseeable effects encompass effects
of implementation of the action including effects of the action in
addition to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future
effects.
Therefore, we have preliminarily determined that the proposed ESA
section 10(a)(1)(B) permit would be a low-effect ITP that may qualify
for application of a categorical exclusion (516 DM 8.5(C)(2)), pursuant
to NEPA, the DOI's NEPA regulations, and the DOI DM. A low-effect ITP
is one that would result in (1) negligible or minor individual or
cumulative effects on species covered in the HCP; (2) no significant
effects on the human environment; and (3) reasonably foreseeable
effects that would not result in significant effects to the human
environment.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the application and public comments
received to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will
also conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the
ESA to evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the
preceding and other matters, we will determine whether the permit
issuance criteria of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If
met, the Service will issue ITP number PER16854790 to Lennar Homes
(Smokey Groves).
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that
your entire comment, including your personal identifying information,
may be made available to the public. If you submit a comment at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, your entire comment, including any personal
identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a
hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such
as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the
top of your document that we withhold this information from public
review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Moreover, all submissions from organizations or
[[Page 44091]]
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (50 CFR 17.32), NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and DOI's
implementing regulations (43 CFR part 46).
Jos[eacute] J. Rivera,
Manager, Division of Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services
Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-17554 Filed 9-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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