Correspondence:

AMEC 

404 SW 140th Terrace 

Newberry, Florida 

USA 32669-3000 

Tel + 1 352 332 3318 

Fax + 1 352 333 6622 amec.com 

 

Page 1 of 2

September 6, 2013 

USACOE, USFWS, and NMFS Meeting Minutes 

AMEC Project No. 6063120212 

Meeting Date: September 6, 2012 

Meeting Location: USACE, Cocoa Office

Meeting Attendees: 

Andy Phillips, ACOE 

Jose Gonzalez, AAF 

Alex Gonzalez, AAF 

Lucien Tender, AMEC 

Shannon McMorrow, AMEC 

John Miklos, Biotech 

Heath Rauschenberger, USFWS 

Brandon Howard, NMFS 

John Wrublik, USFWS 

Project overview: Passenger service along the N-S route stopped in 1968. This project is intended 

to reestablish passenger service (Orlando to Miami) and will require new line from Orlando to Cocoa 

Beach. All Aboard is sorting through alternatives right now. The project can be broken down in 3 

phases: 

• Phase 1: Miami to West Palm Beach (Double Track)- this is rehab of existing track and will 

involve no in-water work or impacts to T&E species- this is covered by the prepared EA (still 

in draft format). 

• Phase 2: Miami to West Palm Beach Bridges- right now we plan on permitting the bridges 

as nationwides (~ 10 acres of wetland impacts based on HDR report) 

• Phase 3: West Palm Beach to Orlando- Individual Permit (~ 100 acres of wetland impacts 

based on HDR report) 

 

Phase 2 and 3 discussion points: 

Phase 2 and 3 will not involved any work outside of the existing Right of Way 

 

Miami to West Palm Beach: 79 MPH, Hourly Train service (tentatively 6AM-9PM), 4 trains. 

West Palm Beach to Orlando: 110 MPH, Hourly Train service (tentatively 6AM-9PM), 4 trains. 

 

USFWS comments 

• USFWS will require manatee construction conditions, small tooth sawfish construction 

condition, indigo snake construction conditions, and sea turtle construction conditions 

(for work areas where these species may occur)- by adhering to these conditions we can 

assume not likely to affect. 

• Biotech will need to perform surveys in areas where there is suitable habitat for scrub jays to 

determine how the operation of the rail will impact that species. 

• Unlikely concerned with red-cockaded wood pecker- but we should verify there is no known 

cavities in the vicinity of the project area. 
USACE Meeting Minutes 

Meeting Date: September 6, 2012 

AMEC Project No. 6063120212 

Page 2 of 2

NMFS comments: 

• Step 1- identify if there are salinity control structures downstream of any of the bridges- if 

there are we can eliminate those from consultation for Essential Fish Habitat 

• Step 2- identify the habitat at the bridges- mangroves, seagrasses, naturally occuring oyster 

habitat will require mitigation 

• Step 3- narrow our list of fish down based on the habitat present at our sites and address 

them in the EFH 

 

EFH vs. ESA- Essential fish habiat assessment is for marine fish and impacts will need to be 

addressed in the EFH, but mitigation is not required. Endangered Species Act Biological 

Assessment will be required for smalltooth sawfish and Johnson's Seagrass if determined to 

likely be impacted- The trigger for consultation for small tooth sawfish is impacts to red 

mangroves- the amount of impacts will trigger the formal consultation- however, by adhering the 

the smalltoothed sawfish construction conditions we can minimize impacts. 

 

For Miami to WPB we will prepare separate documentation for the bridges, but ACOE will bundle 

when they consult with NOAA. EFH consultation will take 30 days, ESA consultation can take a 

long time if there are impacts to Johnson's Seagrass. Mitigation options for seagrass are limitedhowever if necessary we should contact Broward County West Lake, Palm Beach County, and 

they didn't have a suggestion for Miami-Dade or we could get creative- John from Biotech seems 

to have some good ideas- if we need to do this. 

 

The survey period for seagrass ends September 30- so we need to schedule site visits with the 

regulators to confirm presence/absence- tentatively the week of September 24. 

 

Phase 3- WPB to Orlando Discussion Points: 

Corp will assume lead agency at this point and coordinate with USFWS and NMFS 

 

USFWS comments: 

• Jonathon Dickinson State Park, St. John's River, Econ- and other conservation areas/state 

parks along the corridor. Since we are not going outside the existing corridor (ROW) and 

there is existing vehicular traffic (Train or Car) through the entire corridor, the impacts 

associated with the operation of the passenger train are not as severe as if we were putting 

this project in a new corridor- but we need to considered the increased risk of strike with the 

frequency and speed of the train- also for example- adding the new rail will move the trains 

closer to the adjacent scrub habitat. Idea- consider fencing around the train to prevent 

scrub-jays from colliding with the trains- however, this may impede movement of other 

species. 

• Andy (ACOE) requested that USFWS come up with areas for potential widlife corridors along 

the route that could be included in the design. Also talk with Steve Tonjes District 5 DOT- he 

led the planning of the 528 and may have information guidance on wildlife issues they 

addressed in their design- 386-943-5394 

• Impacts to wood stork habitat can be offset with mitigation- can be done through wetland 

mitigation banks. 

• Indigo snakes- no survey requirements- we can assume indigo snake construction conditions 

and inidigo snakes found during the tortoise relocation will be relocated as well. 

 

• Given that the alignment for the rail is already next to road or existing tracks the impacts of 

habitat fragmentation or wildlife movement already exist. 

 
USACE Meeting Minutes 

Meeting Date: September 6, 2012 

AMEC Project No. 6063120212 

Page 3 of 2

Action Items: 

• Brandon (NMFS) will provide Bridge Checklist (already recieved) 

• Site visits week of Sept 24 

• Oz will provide the guidelines for the alternatives analysis

Sincerely, 

AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. 

Charlene Stroehlen, PE Lucien Tender, PE 

Environmental & Permitting Lead Project Manager & Engineering Lead 

Direct Tel: + 1 352 333 2620 Direct Tel: + 1 813 636 1529 

Direct Fax: + 1 352 333 6622 Direct Fax: +1 813 626 4218 

E-mail: Charlene.Stroehlen@amec.com E-mail: lucien.tender@amec.com 
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Tampa Office Orlando Office Vero Beach Office

333 Falkenburg Road N, Suite A-128 2002 E. Robinson Street 1717 Indian River Blvd., Suite 201

Tampa, FL 33619 Orlando, FL 32803 Vero Beach, FL 32960

Key West Office Aquatic & Land Mgmt. Operations Jacksonville Office

1107 Key Plaza, Suite 259 3825 Rouse Road 2036 Forbes Street

Key West, FL 33040 Orlando, FL 33822 Jacksonville, FL 32204

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Toll Free 877-894-5969 Fax 407-894-5970 www.btc-inc.com info@btc-inc.com

A meeting with John Wrublik of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Shannon 

McMorrow of AMEC, and Jay Baker, Steve Lau, and Steffenie Widows of Bio-Tech 

Consulting Inc (BTC). was conducted on January 9, 2012 at the Vero Beach USFWS office to 

discuss wildlife concerns regarding the All Aboard Florida (AAF) commuter rail project for the 

portion extending from Miami-Dade to Indian River Counties. Mr. Wrublik stated that he only had 

three (3) wildlife species of concern to discuss within this portion of the project. These species 

include, the Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) (Federally designated Threatened), Eastern 

indigo snake (Drymarchon corais couperi) (Federally designated Threatened), and Woodstork (Mycteria 

americana) (Federally designated Endangered). 

Florida Scrub-Jays

Mr. Wrublik is requiring BTC to conduct an official scrub-jay survey of the AAF project

 right-of-way within the areas of suitable scrub-jay habitat during the designated survey season

 for this species during early spring (especially March). He specifically stated that the survey 

would need to be completed before he can issue the permit and is not willing to condition the permit 

to allow BTC to do the surveys after the permit has been issued. His reasoning was that he feels 

that the USFWS needs to know where scrub-jays are present before he can give any opinion on

the best management practices for this species. We did discuss the option of using high 

fences within areas of known scrub-jay occurrence to prevent the bird’s mortality when crossing 

the tracks during times of consistent rail traffic. The fencing material was also discussed. The

 most functional and economical materials will be selected and proposed to the USFWS.

Eastern Indigo Snake

Mr. Wrublik is requiring that AAF follow the USFWS Standard Protection Measures for the Eastern Indigo 

Snake which includes the requirement that information signs to be placed in areas of Eastern indigo 

snake habitat along the AAF project right-of-way during times of construction. These signs are to

serve as an educational tool to make construction workers aware of the snake’s appearance 

and potential presence within the area. If snakes are observed, these signs instruct workers to,

cease work and contact the environmental consultant and the USFWS office. Any dead snake

 that is discovered must be put on ice and again contact the environmental consultant and 

the USFWS. 

DATE: JANUARY 11, 2013

TO: JOSE GONZALEZ & ALEX GONZALEZ 

FROM: JAY BAKER

CC: JOHN MIKLOS; SHANNON MCMORROW

RE: MEETING WITH JOHN WRUBLIK OF THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE

 SERVICE BTC NO: 676-03 
BTC MEMO 

- 2 - 

Wood Storks

Mr. Wrublik stated that he does not see any concerns with wood storks as there are 

no wood stork rookeries located within the AAF project right-of-way and impacts to suitable 

foraging habitat will be mitigated for in a Service approved mitigation bank. He said that he will be 

consulting with the Army Corps of Engineers about management guidance for this species. 

Additional wildlife species, including the Manatee, Snail Kite, Crested Caracara, Red 

Cockaded Woodpecker and the possible future listing of the Gopher Tortoise were also discussed. 

Mr. Wrublik did not have any concerns that any of these species would be affected by the project. 
Correspondence:

AMEC 

404 SW 140th Terrace 

Newberry, Florida 

USA 32669-3000 

Tel + 1 352 332 3318 

Fax + 1 352 333 6622 amec.com 

 

Page 1 of 2

January 29, 2013 

USACOE Site Visit Meeting Minutes 

AMEC Project No. 6063120212 

Meeting Date: Wednesday January 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM 

Meeting Location: Bridge and Non-Bridge AAF Project Areas between Cocoa and West Palm 

Beach, FL- Areas visited listed below: 

Non Bridge Project Areas 

MP Start MP End

195.1 197.0 

233.6 238.9 

259.2 259.9 

Bridge Project Areas: 

Goat Creek- MP 202.59 

North Canal- MP 223.70 

Moore’s Creek- MP 241.27 

Unnamed Creek- MP 259.95 

Unnamed Tributary- MP 266.58 

Unnamed Tributary- MP 266.86 

Meeting Attendees: 

Andrew Phillips (USACOE) 

John Wrublick (USFWS) 

Brandon Howard (NOAA Fisheries) 

Shannon McMorrow (AMEC) 

Purpose of Meeting: 

• To review the wetland and surface water impact areas anticipated by the proposed project. 

Topics Discussed 

• Wetland lines are accepted and will not require revisions

• Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method Scoring- USACOE suggested we set up a meeting with 

AAF (and its consultants), USACOE, SFWMD, SJRWMD and FDEP to discuss UMAM approach 

and agree on scores

• Impacts will need to be mitigated for in approved banks 

Sincerely, 

AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. 

Charlene Stroehlen, PE Lucien Tender, PE 

Environmental & Permitting Lead Project Manager & Engineering Lead 

Direct Tel: + 1 352 333 2620 Direct Tel: + 1 813 636 1529 

Direct Fax: + 1 352 333 6622 Direct Fax: +1 813 626 4218 

E-mail: Charlene.Stroehlen@amec.com E-mail: lucien.tender@amec.com 
Correspondence:

AMEC 

404 SW 140th Terrace 

Newberry, Florida 

USA 32669-3000 

Tel + 1 352 332 3318 

Fax + 1 352 333 6622 amec.com 

 

Page 1 of 1

February 13, 2013 

USFWS Jacksonville Meeting Minutes 

AMEC Project No. 6063120212 

Meeting Date: Wednesday February 13, 2013 at 10:30 AM 

Meeting Location: USFWS Jacksonville Office 

Meeting Attendees: 

Jane Monaghan (USFWS) 

Heath Rauschenberger (USFWS) 

Alex Gonzalez (AAF) 

Shannon McMorrow (AMEC) 

Charlene Stroehlen (AMEC) 

Jay Baker (Biotech) 

Steffenie Widows (Biotech) 

Purpose of Meeting: 

• To review the All Aboard Florida Project and potential impacts to federally listed species in Brevard

and Orange Counties. 

Topics Discussed 

• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will be the lead federal agency for the NEPA process

• It may be beneficial to break up the ERP/ACOE permit application by County to clearly separate 

USFWS Jacksonville and USFWS Vero jurisdiction.

• Secondary and cumulative impacts to wildlife including noise, vibration, habitat fragmentation, 

etc. must be thoroughly addressed in the biological assessment.

• USFWS suggests clearly outlining avoidance and minimization first, then mitigation for impacts 

to wildlife. 

• USFWS suggests breaking out the impacts to wildlife by existing land use i.e. existing rail 

corridor, SR528 right of way, and cocoa curve.

• USFWS suggests the next meeting be scheduled with the land managers of properties adjacent 

to the proposed corridor. The managers could provide information on species occurrence and 

habitat, as well as provide feedback on the proposed design to minimize impacts.

• AMEC presented the desk-top method that has been used to assemble the list of protected 

species known to occur in Orange and Brevard Counties and then to further eliminate some of 

those species from consideration. AMEC will focus on the following Wildlife Species of Concern 

and presented proposed methods for completing the effects analysis and arriving at an effects 

determination: 

o West Indian Manatee - All in-water work will be conducted in accordance with standard 

manatee conditions for in-water work - NLAA

o Wood Stork - Project footprint is within 2,500 ft of known colony- however, the existing rail 

corridor land use is compatible with proposed use. Unavoidable impacts to wetlands will be

mitigated through purchase of credits at a USFWS approved mitigation bank- NLAA

o Red Cockaded Wood Pecker (RCW) - The project area is within 0.5 miles of RCW nests; 

however, no suitable nesting or foraging habitat exist within the project footprint- NLAA
USFWS Meeting Minutes 

Meeting Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 10:30 

AMEC Project No. 6063090161 

February 13, 2013 

Page 2 of 2

o Eastern Indigo Snake- If less than 25 acres of xeric habitat and impacts to fewer than 25 

gopher tortoise burrows, USFWS approved standard construction practices will be 

implemented- NLAA

o Gopher Tortoise (Candidate Species)- Species may be federally listed in the near future,

so keep this in mind. FWC compliant survey and relocation will be conducted prior to 

construction.

o Audubon’s Crested Caracara- AMEC will provide land use and aerial photograph 

evaluation of habitat and discuss potential nesting areas with USFWS. This will be done by 

the end of February. If deemed necessary, USFWS compliant surveys may be required to 

determine if nesting activity occurs along the corridor. If a field survey cannot be performed 

during the 2013 nesting season (which ends in March), USFWS will accept the BA and defer 

decisions related to an effects determination for this species with a caveat that prior to 

construction, a survey will be performed. An effects determination (and possible mitigation 

requirements) would be decided at that time.

o Florida Scrub-jay- Some marginal habitat exists adjacent to the project area in Brevard 

County. Biotech will provide evaluation of land use and habitat, and will perform USFWS 

compliant surveys, if nesting habitat is identified. 

o Bald Eagle- The office of Migratory Birds handles bald eagles. Biotech will need to continue 

to coordinate with them. 

Deliverables to USFWS 

• AMEC will provide USFWS with the following:

o Land use and aerial photographs including the proposed alignment in Brevard and Orange 

Counties

o Location of proposed bridge work in Brevard County for Manatee habitat evaluation

o The WPB to Miami Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) 

o FRA Noise and Vibration Guidance document

Sincerely, 

AMEC Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. 

Charlene Stroehlen, PE Shannon McMorrow 

Environmental & Permitting Lead Project Scientist 

Direct Tel: + 1 352 333 2620 Direct Tel: + 1 352 333 3634 

Direct Fax: + 1 352 333 6622 Direct Fax: +1 352 333 6622 

E-mail: Charlene.Stroehlen@amec.com E-mail: Shannon.mcmorrow@amec.com