Ecological

Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study

Brevard County Continuing Ecological Services

SR 40 from West of SR 11 to West of Cone Road

Celebration Church Gopher Tortoise Relocation

Osceola Parkway Phase 2 Widening

Poinciana Park Gopher Tortoise Relocate

Planning / PD&E / Public Involvement

SR 500 (OBT/US 441) PD&E Study

Work Program Public Hearing Support

US 17 PD&E Study

Transportation

SR 415 Final Design – Reed Ellis Road to Acorn Lake Road

East Central Florida Regional Rail Trail

State Road 434 from Montgomery Road to I-4

Ft. Fraser Trail Extension

US 17 Design – Sweetwater Road to 7th Avenue

Cady Way Trail Management Plan

Utilities

Markham Woods Road Potable and Reclaimed Water Mains

Rouse Road Utility Improvement

Pioneer Key I Subdivision Retrofit

Water Resources

Indian River Estates - Phase 2 Design

Crooked Lake West Hydrologic Restoration

Verada Ditch – Phase 4 – Long-term Corrective Action Design & Permitting

Howell Creek at Red Bug Lake Road Improvements

Duck Lake Watershed Management Plan

Park Manor Estates Underdrain Improvements

Southwest Road Ditch Drainage Improvements

Poinciana Parkway Southport Connector PD&E Study

The Southport Connector Expressway is identified in the Osceola County Expressway Authority Master Plan and is closely tied to Osceola County’s Comprehensive Plan. The limits for this PD&E study are from Pleasant Hill Road to Florida’s Turnpike. As part of the County’s 2007 Compliance Agreement with the state of Florida, the County agreed to conduct a planning effort for the connector, which was tied to the South Lake Toho Master Plan effort.

Many issues influenced the preferred corridor alignment identified in the feasibility study, including impacts to wetlands and species, the Disney Wilderness Preserve, interchange locations, interchange spacing requirements related to the Turnpike’s existing Canoe Creek Service Plaza and the Turkey Lake Mainline Toll Plaza, and effects on neighboring residential properties. The completed roadway will be a new controlled-access freeway and a highway project of four or more lanes on a new location. This PD&E study includes the following tasks: environmental report; coordination with CEMO, FHWA, USFWS, and other stakeholders; design alternatives to build the interchange in phases; design alternatives to avoid Section 4(f) resources; an indirect and cumulative effects assessment; air/noise assessment; detailed field reviews for endangered protected species and wetlands; cultural resource assessment; and public involvement activities.

Ecological Scope of Services: Wildlife surveys for Audubon’s crested caracara and bald eagle, FNAI habitat/landcover mapping; and regulatory agency coordination. Inwood developed a wildlife habitat evaluation using four key species: Audubon’s crested caracara, Everglade snail kite, bald eagle, and Florida grasshopper sparrow based on FNAI’s habitat/natural community types and anticipated habitat utilization that allowed for the comparison and assessment of 13 independent corridors within a mosaic of upland and wetland habitat types.

Brevard County Continuing Ecological Services

The Helen & Allen Cruickshank Sanctuary is managed by the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program and consists of 160 acres in Rockledge, Florida. As part of a habitat restoration project for the Florida scrub jay, Inwood provided mechanical vegetation reduction, tree removal, and prescribed fire within a recently-acquired 5.2-acre addition to the preserve. The purpose of this project was for Inwood to assist EEL staff in the restoration of scrub habitat at the Cruikshank sanctuary. The overall effort was completed in cooperation with the Brevard County Parks and Recreation staff with funding assistance provided by the U.S. Air Force.

SR 40 from West of SR 11 to West of Cone Road

This project consists of adding two new travel lanes to an existing two-lane rural highway for approximately 7.6 miles. Twelve new retention areas were designed as well as three floodplain compensation areas. Three bridges were completely replaced and lengthened to include wildlife crossing enhancements.

One wildlife crossing structure was also included as well as wildlife fencing and a 12-foot multi-use trail. This project included wetland delineation and assessment, wildlife surveys, wildlife crossing and habitat connectivity analysis, and environmental permitting.

This project included wetland delineation and assessment, wildlife surveys, wildlife crossing and habitat connectivity analysis, and environmental permitting.

Celebration Church Gopher Tortoise Relocation

Inwood partnered with Austin Environmental Consultants to provide environmental services to the Celebration Community Church for their Gopher Tortoise Relocation project. The project consisted of the mechanical excavation of 13 potentially-occupied gopher tortoise burrows within the footprint of the Celebration Community Church in Celebration, Florida. Inwood also supervised the off-site relocation of all captured tortoise to the Disney Wilderness Preserve in Kissimmee, Florida.

Osceola Parkway Phase 2 Widening

As the prime consultant, Inwood provided environmental services to assist Osceola County with permitting through the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for the Osceola Parkway Phase 2 Roadway Widening project. Inwood performed a GIS-based, cumulative impact analysis for the East Lake Tohopekaliga drainage basin. The analysis documented the potential of the project to result in unacceptable adverse cumulative impacts. In accordance with SFWMD review criteria, the analysis also considered similar projects which may reasonably be located within wetlands or other surface waters in the same drainage basin as the proposed project (East Lake Tohopekaliga drainage basin).

Poinciana Park Gopher Tortoise Relocate

Inwood served as subconsultant to Austin Environmental Consultants and provided environmental services on the Poinciana Park Gopher Tortoise Relocate project. This capital improvement project was undertaken by Polk County, Florida as part of the Poinciana Master Plan. The project included the development of roughly 29 acres of fallow pastures into a community park.
Inwood provided assistance to the County by providing an FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent to conduct the required surveys, relocation permitting, burrow excavation, and off-site relocation for 11 potentially-occupied gopher tortoise burrows.
Key project issues included the coordination with Polk County, FWC, and the relocation site to ensure timely excavation of the burrows and removal of the occupying tortoises prior to the commencement of the park construction.

SR 500 (OBT/US 441) PD&E Study

For the SR 500 (OBT/US 441) Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study project, Inwood provided public involvement services consisting of public notification of project details through newsletters, advertisements, press releases, and project website updates. This PD&E study evaluated the two mile reconstruction of State Road 500 from a five-lane roadway to a four-lane and six-lane divided roadway in Osceola, County, Florida. Inside the project area there is a National Register of Historic Place building along the corridor as well as a cemetery. Alignments were developed to avoid these two features.

Inwood was also responsible for the typical section development, horizontal and vertical alignment, drainage and flood plain analysis, wetlands and species evaluations, and report preparation.

Work Program Public Hearing Support

Inwood partnered with GMB Engineers and Planners to provide public involvement services to District Five for their work program public hearings. As part of a three-year contract, Inwood assisted GMB and the FDOT by providing web design, graphics, video production, and webcasting services in order to communicate the Department’s five-year work program with elected officials, planning agencies, and the public. A web site was developed which allowed users to view planned projects on an interactive map and submit comments or questions.