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Alachua County orders restoration plan and 30‑day compliance timeline after wetland clearing at Waukesha Road Farms
Summary
County staff documented clearing into wetlands and recommended a multi‑department compliance order requiring an environmental consultant, a restoration plan for the 75‑foot average upland buffer, inspections and 80% survival of plantings within two years; the lessee asked for time and county provided a consolidated compliance order.
At a May 1 code enforcement hearing the county presented multi‑department findings that a parcel owned by Waukesha Road Farms Inc. had recent clearing and mulching into a seasonal wetland and its required upland buffer. Environmental Protection Department staff described approximately 2.3 acres of impacted wetland area and showed images county staff said documented sediment and mulched material pushed into wetland areas.
Chris Bover, senior environmental specialist with Alachua County EPD, summarized the aerial imagery and site photos and told the magistrate staff observed vegetation removal, roots and mulched material in buffer areas and some damage to mature live oaks. “Staff observed mulching of the vegetation within the wetland buffer and in some areas within the wetland itself,” Bover said.
County staff recommended the respondent be found in violation of Chapter 406 (surface waters and wetland protections), recover prosecution costs and comply with a set of corrective actions. The multi‑department compliance order presented to the lessee included these key conditions: within 30 days, retain an environmental consultant to produce a written restoration plan for the 75‑foot average upland buffer; submit a timeline and planting specifications (species, spacing and size) for review; notify EPD when plantings are installed and schedule inspections; complete annual inspections for two years to achieve at least 80% survival, with replacement plantings as needed.
Nicole Wayne Campin, who identified herself as the lessee and authorized representative and said she runs a 501(c)(3) rescue on part of the parcel, told the magistrate she had engaged engineering and environmental consultants and asked for time to implement mitigation. Campin said Verde Environmental estimated a four‑ to six‑week lead time to mark wetlands and begin mitigation work.
Because the violations included natural‑resource impacts and some clearing was characterized as irreversible without restoration, staff recommended potential fines (county staff cited the possibility of fines up to $15,000 for certain violations), daily fines during non‑compliance ($250/day was discussed) and recovery of prosecution costs (county cited approximately $140). The magistrate ordered a multi‑department compliance order, asked staff to provide the lessee a consolidated document listing corrective actions and accepted that consultants may contact county staff directly to coordinate next steps.
What happens next: The compliance order requires an environmental consultant to prepare a restoration plan within 30 days, notification to EPD upon planting, and follow‑up inspections. County staff said it will enter photographs and site documentation into the record and schedule reinspections to monitor restoration progress.
