The purpose of this rulemaking is to amend the District’s permit processing fee rule to adopt standardized permitting fee categories for Environmental Resource Permits (ERPs). This is being done as part of a statewide ERP rulemaking effort being undertaken by the Department of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the state’s five water management districts, pursuant to Section 373.4131, F.S. Each water management district as well as the DEP will be adopting the same standardized fee categories, for statewide consistency. The effect of this rulemaking will be to have standardized fee categories applicable statewide for various types of activities that require an ERP. Standardized fee categories are also established for confirmation of qualification of exemption, informal or formal determinations of wetland or other surface waters and variances or waivers of permitting rules. Each water management district and DEP will establish its own fees within each fee category, to be based upon existing fees. It is anticipated that the new fee categories will not take effect until the statewide ERP rules take effect, which are proposed to become effective in July 2013.