Florida developer pays $350K fine for filling in wetland

MGN

A Florida developer will pay a $350,000 fine for illegally filling in more than an acre of wetlands for a condominium project.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday said in a news release that it had settled the case with Lodge/Abbott Investments Associates LLC, who filled in tidal areas in Naples for a “high-end” condo tower.

Under the settlement, the developer has also purchased $54,000 in credits from a “wetlands mitigation bank.” These banks are wetlands that are restored or preserved in other areas that are meant offset the damage.

Lodge/Abbott was cited for illegally filling in the wetlands of Wiggins Pass and the Cocohatchee River under the Clean Water Act. The company did so without a required permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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