Notice2026-04369
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole-Skink; Highlands County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
Primary source
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Published
March 5, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Rizzzo Self Storage of Sebring, LLC (Sebring Parkway Parcel) (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the construction of a self-storage facility and associated infrastructure. 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 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. 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 91 Issue 43 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 43 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10814-10815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04369]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-1595; FXES11140400000-267-FF04EF4000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole-
Skink; Highlands 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 Rizzzo Self Storage of Sebring, LLC (Sebring
Parkway Parcel) (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under
the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the
federally listed sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to
the construction of a self-storage facility and associated
infrastructure. We request public
[[Page 10815]]
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 National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and
the DOI Departmental Manual. 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 April 6,
2026.
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-
1595 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 FWS-R4-ES-2025-1595.
<bullet> U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2025-1595; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275
Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lindsay Needs, by U.S. mail (see
ADDRESSES), by telephone at 772-226-8158 or via email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#eb8782858f988a92b4858e8e8f98ab8d9c98c58c849d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3c505552584f5d4563525959584f7c5a4b4f125b534a">[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 Rizzzo Self Storage of Sebring,
LLC (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP), also known as a
section 10(a)(1)(B) permit, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant requests the
ITP to take the federally threatened sand skink (Neopseps (=Plestiodon)
reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregius lividus)
incidental to the construction and operation of a self-storage facility
in Highlands County, Florida. We request public comment on the
application, which includes the applicant's habitat conservation plan
(HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that this
proposed ITP may qualify for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the
Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations (43 CFR 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 5-year ITP to take skinks via the
conversion of approximately 0.88 acres (ac) of occupied nesting,
foraging, and sheltering skink habitat incidental to the construction
and operation of a commercial development on 5.92-ac on Parcel #C-33-
34-29-080-0000-0510 in Section 33, Township 34S, and Range 29E, in the
City of Sebring, Highlands County, Florida. The applicant proposes to
mitigate for take of the skinks by purchasing credits equivalent to
1.76 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, construction
of a commercial development and associated infrastructure (e.g.,
electric, water, and sewer lines), would have a minor effect on the
skinks and the human environment, with applicability of none of the
extraordinary circumstances of 43 CFR 46.215. Reasonably foreseeable
effects encompass effects of implementation of the proposed project as
well as other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future effects.
We, therefore, have preliminarily determined that the requested 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 Departmental Manual. 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 effect 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 the comments to
determine whether to issue the requested ITP. 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 PER23207493 to Rizzzo Self Storage of Sebring,
LLC.
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
hard copy 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 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) and the National Environmental Policy Act
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 46).
Jose Rivera,
Manager, Division of Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services
Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-04369 Filed 3-4-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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