The Southwest Florida Water Management District has approved an Environmental Resource Permit modification for a borrow pit for use in constructing the Suncoast Parkway 2 toll road extension.

That move brings the toll road ever closer to extending up US 19 across the Suwannee River and other sensitive wetlands all the way to the GA-FL line towards Thomasville, Georgia.

SWFWMD approved ERP, for Suncoast Parkway 2, Eastern Borrow Site, owned by FDEP 2026-05-22

This site is not in the Suwannee River Basin. It is in the watershed of Citrus County’s Crystal River. But building any part of that toll road accellerates the likelihood of the same road heading north into the Suwannee Basin.

Hurricane evacuation is the usual excuse for this toll road, but solar panels and batteries for houses and businesses would cost less and would mean many people would not have to evacuate and would not be without power for weeks as happens now after every hurricane.

You may recall that this is the same sand mine that Southworth sold to the state of Florida after the state failed to get Citrus County to approve it.

Citrus County a month later authorized selected staff to sign permit applications and inspection reports for FDOT, FDEP, and SWFWMD.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) also failed to stop it.

We support the efforts of https://www.stopthesandmine.com.

Please contact them or us if you want to help stop this borrow pit and its toll road.

There are relevant documents on the WWALS website. Images of a few pages are below.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Approval ERP Individual Construction Major Modification Project, 2026-05-22, Name Suncoast Parkway 2 Eastern Borrow Site App ID_Permit No 935264/43016897.016, Citrus County
PDF

FDOTPlans

Drainage Map 1, 2026-05-22 –FDOT Plans Approval
PDF

Drainage Map 2, 2026-05-22 –FDOT Plans Approval
PDF

PR

STATE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT RE-EVALUATION FORM, 2026-05-22 –FDOT
PDF

ECert

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION FOR STATE FUNDED PROJECT, 2026-05-06 –FDOT
PDF

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