Permit Documentation Summary

This is an Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) permit document for the Escambia Nearshore East Artificial Reef Site, a construction and deployment project managed by Escambia County. The project involves the manufacture, transportation, and precise deployment of approximately 25 Patch Reef modules at a nearshore site located approximately 5 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in the Gulf of Mexico at water depths of 45-65 feet. The reef modules will be spaced approximately 500 feet apart across a 2 square nautical mile permitted site centered at coordinates 30°17.600'N; 087°13.700'W. A pre-solicitation meeting is scheduled for November 7, 2025, with questions due by November 20, 2025, and proposal submissions due December 1, 2025 at 10:00 am. The estimated construction date is March 2026, with project completion required by May 1, 2026. Contractors are required to demonstrate at least three similar Patch Reef artificial reef deployments at comparable depths within the past three years. Deployed modules will be inspected within 1-3 weeks following deployment, and any damaged modules must be replaced by the contractor at no cost to Escambia County.

The project is funded through the Florida Artificial Reef Program with a total budget of $450,000, supported by Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Phase III Early Restoration Plan funding related to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Pricing is inclusive of manufacture, preparation, transportation, deployment, and precise module placement, with the final number and specific coordinates to be determined by Escambia County upon receipt of module pricing. Contractors must provide comprehensive marine insurance, including Protection & Indemnity coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, Maritime Workers Compensation with $1,000,000 limits, and Marine Pollution liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate, with insurers maintaining a minimum AM Best Rating of VIII. No explicit set-aside designations are specified, and Escambia County reserves the right to reject all submissions or select a submittal funded at a lower amount.