Availability of an Environmental Assessment and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for Beach Driving and Related Activities in St. Johns County, FL

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St. Johns County (Applicant) is seeking an incidental take permit (ITP) from the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) pursuant to Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. The Applicant anticipates that authorization of beach driving and related activities, over a requested permit term of 20 years, will result in the incidental taking of the endangered Anastasia Island beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus phasma), leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempi), and hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), as well as the threatened loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). The anticipated taking of these federally listed species is incidental to otherwise legal vehicle operation on the beaches of St. Johns County, pursuant to the Beach and Shore Preservation Act of 1998, section 161.36, Florida Statutes. A description of the mitigation and minimization measures outlined in the Applicant's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to address the effects of the beach access and beach access-related activities on federally listed species is described further in the SUPPLEMENTARY