USACE, Port Tampa Bay agreement strengthens permitting coordination

TAMPA, Fla. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, and Port Tampa Bay have formalized a partnership intended to support timely, transparent review of the port’s Department of the Army permit applications while maintaining the independent environmental and public-interest safeguards required by federal law.

The agreement, authorized under Section 214 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), allows eligible non-federal public entities to contribute funds to USACE to evaluate their permit applications. In this case, Port Tampa Bay will fund a designated portion of a Jacksonville District Regulatory Project Manager’s time to support the port’s regulatory workload.

For a port with numerous large, connected projects underway or planned, the agreement provides a consistent point of contact and a structured way to manage technical reviews, information exchanges and evolving project priorities.

“Port Tampa Bay has a high volume of complex work requiring extensive regulatory oversight,” Jacksonville District’s Tampa Regulatory Section Chief, Mindy Hogan-Charles said. “This agreement establishes a direct partnership that supports clear communication, reliable tracking and dedicated review hours, without diverting essential regulatory resources from other applicants in the Tampa area.”

Port Tampa Bay is Florida’s largest port by cargo tonnage and land area. Its infrastructure needs can include berth modifications and expansions, maintenance dredging, channel deepening and preservation work on dredged-material management-area islands. Because these initiatives are often large-scale, multi-phase projects, they frequently require individual Department of the Army permit reviews rather than simpler general-permit verifications. Some actions also require coordination or formal consultation with other federal agencies.

Under the agreement, a designated Regulatory Project Manager will serve as the primary conduit between Jacksonville District’s Regulatory Division and Port Tampa Bay. The manager will devote a defined portion of each workweek to port actions, with the remainder of the workweek supporting review of non-port permit applications within the broader Tampa Area of Responsibility.

That split schedule is central to the agreement’s public benefit. It gives the port dedicated, predictable support for its permit applications while keeping the regulatory professional actively engaged in work affecting other applicants in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The arrangement also helps the Tampa permits section manage overall workload and strengthens its capacity to serve local, state and federal agencies, homeowners, environmental consultants and commercial developers.

Rachel Somerville, who has served as the port’s primary Regulatory Project Manager during the past year and a half, will continue in the dedicated role. Her existing familiarity with the port’s regulatory actions, project history and technical background will help sustain continuity as the agreement moves forward.

“Having one reliable project manager creates stability for everyone involved,” Somerville said. “The port knows who to contact, and USACE has a clear view of how multiple port projects relate to one another. That helps us maintain consistent communication, track timelines and focus review efforts where they are needed most.” A single point of contact is especially valuable because port projects often overlap in location, timing and environmental considerations. A dedicated project manager can retain institutional knowledge from one project to the next, better understand how proposed activities interact and coordinate internally with USACE Civil Works staff when port work intersects with federally maintained navigation projects in Tampa Bay.

The agreement also establishes regular coordination practices, including dedicated weekly project-evaluation time and recurring monthly meetings. These touchpoints are intended to help USACE and Port Tampa Bay identify issues early, clarify application needs and align regulatory reviews with the port’s changing construction and operational priorities.

Importantly, the agreement does not give Port Tampa Bay preferential treatment or alter any environmental standard. The funds contributed pay only for the time spent reviewing applications; they do not determine a permit decision. USACE retains full authority to approve, deny or modify every Department of the Army permit application based on applicable laws, environmental analysis and the public-interest review process.

All port projects will continue to comply with applicable federal requirements, including the Clean Water Act, Rivers and Harbors Act, National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act.

To preserve the integrity and independence of the permitting process, Somerville’s work as the project manager is subject to a second level of oversight. The Tampa Section Chief will review final documents before they are provided to the port. Compliance and enforcement actions, if necessary, will be handled by an impartial USACE employee who is not funded by the port.

“This agreement supports timeliness, but it does not change the standard for a permit decision,” Hogan-Charles said. “USACE’s responsibility remains the same: evaluate every action objectively and protect aquatic resources” The agreement’s development began in 2016 and required sustained coordination between the Jacksonville District and Port Tampa Bay. The partners worked through changes in national WRDA legislation, carefully defined a split-work schedule that complied with federal labor requirements and established professional safeguards to prevent outside funding from influencing regulatory decisions. The new agreement will remain in effect for three years and can be extended.

Those efforts were grounded in transparency, frequent communication and a shared objective: create a more efficient process for complex port infrastructure work without compromising fairness for other permit applicants or the integrity of USACE’s regulatory program.

Success will be measured in several ways. For the Jacksonville District, the agreement is expected to help reduce permitting processing times in the Tampa Area of Responsibility and allow resources to be directed toward other large, complex projects outside the port’s boundaries. For Port Tampa Bay, success means greater predictability in meeting planning and construction milestones.

One example of how this partnership supports these goals is the proposed 10-year maintenance dredging permit currently being finalized by USACE. Compared with a five-year permit, this longer authorization would reduce the frequency of permit renewals and give the port more flexibility to schedule dredging as needed to maintain safe access to its channels and berths at previously authorized depths. This approach supports coordinated, long-term planning between USACE and the port while allowing USACE staff to focus on other priority projects.

For the public, the intended benefits include reliable port operations that support regional economic growth and jobs, alongside continued protection of Tampa Bay’s aquatic resources. Required safeguards would include seasonal restrictions to protect Florida manatees, barriers to limit the spread of sediment and protect water quality, and practices that protect and restore migratory shorebird habitat on islands used for dredged material placement.

The agreement may also offer a model for future partnerships with other eligible public infrastructure entities in Florida. By using a partial-position structure, USACE can expand specialized regulatory capacity while continuing to serve the broader community and preserve local expertise.

Ultimately, the USACE and Port Tampa Bay agreement is designed to demonstrate that efficient permitting coordination and independent environmental stewardship can advance together: improving predictability for critical infrastructure projects, supporting the regional supply chain and ensuring that every permit decision remains grounded in federal law and the public interest.

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