With the rapid expansion of home development in Cape Coral, you may find yourself owning a piece of waterfront property. Welcome to Paradise and what Florida living is all about – the water! This article may serve you purpose when you start exploring building that dream home on your water front lot. Especially if you have vegetation growing at your property line.
What are mangroves?
Mangroves are essentially small trees that sit in the coastline of rivers, canals, and other shorelines. Mangroves have three species; Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove), Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove) or Avicennia germinans (black mangrove). The type of species change depending on the environment. They help filter water as well as stabilize coastlines. They also offer a habitat for many different types of species like fish, crustaceans, birds, and more. They serve as a key species for our Florida wildlife and ecosystem, which is why they must be properly removed if present on a lot undergoing development.
What do Mangroves Mean to a Builder?
As a home builder, Sposen thinks about mangroves more often than you might imagine. Ample opportunity to live on the water in SWFL is one of its most attractive qualities. With so much residential waterfront property, the State of Florida must protect natural coastlines and mangroves from overdevelopment. Knowing how important healthy mangrove forests are, Sposen takes these laws and regulations seriously. We build award winning waterfront homes while carefully following the guidelines of Florida’s building codes. If mangroves or any other protected species are present on a lot, we identify the wildlife species, knowing the procedures in place for environmental protection and act accordingly. When mangroves are found, Sposen refers to FDEP (Florida department of environmental protection) for the proper removal.
Need to remove mangroves?
According to the city of Cape Coral the only way mangroves can be removed is for construction purposes and there are laws to having certain seawalls in place in order to build as well. Since mangroves are environmentally protected, there is an extensive process in order to remove them. The department of environmental protection and the army Corp of engineers may have to come together for the removal. There are mitigation fees that can exceed $5000 associated with the removal of mangroves in order for a permit to be issued. A licensed environmental firm would be brought in toe help with this mitigation process.
Whats Next?
After the removal of mangroves, a seawall or protective barrier needs to be built. Upon the completion of your seawall, you can start the construction of your new home! There are several options when it comes to seawalls. Most commonly used is cement construction. Read our blog about seawall options here.
Conclusion
At Sposen we perform a lot inspection to determine lot specific costs for our clients at no charge. If you have questions regarding your waterfront property and wish to tap into the extensive knowledge of our New Home Specialist Team please give us a call at 239.244.886 or email hello@sposenhomes.com.