TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations/Acronyms ...................................................................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... v CONSULTATION HISTORY ..................................................................................................................................... vii BIOLOGICAL OPINION AND CONFERENCE OPINION ............................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 1 2. PROPOSED ACTION ....................................................................................................................................... 4 3. INFORMATION COMMON TO MULTIPLE SPECIES AND CRITICAL HABITAT ANALYSES ................................. 21 4. BARTRAM’S SCRUB-HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY ............................................................................................. 30 5. FLORIDA LEAFWING BUTTERFLY ................................................................................................................. 49 6. CRITICAL HABITAT for BARTRAM’S SCRUB-HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY and FLORIDA LEAFWING BUTTERFLY . 53 7. MIAMI TIGER BEETLE .................................................................................................................................. 67 8. EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE ............................................................................................................................. 89 9. GOPHER TORTOISE ..................................................................................................................................... 96 10. RIM ROCK CROWNED SNAKE .................................................................................................................... 103 11. FLORIDA BONNETED BAT .......................................................................................................................... 109 12. DELTOID SPURGE ...................................................................................................................................... 128 13. TINY POLYGALA ........................................................................................................................................ 135 14. OTHER LISTED PLANTS .............................................................................................................................. 140 15. CRITICAL HABITAT FOR CARTER’S SMALL-FLOWERED FLAX and FLORIDA BRICKELL-BUSH ........................ 163 16. INCIDENTAL TAKE STATEMENT ................................................................................................................. 172 17. CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................... 173 18. REINITIATION NOTICE ............................................................................................................................... 173 19. LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................................... 174 ii Abbreviations/Acronyms Applicants Coral Reef Retail LLC, Coral Reef Resi PH I LLC, Ramdev LLC, and the University of Miami BMP Best Management Practices BO/CO Biological Opinion/Conference Opinion BSHB Bartram’s scrub hairstreak butterfly CSFF Carter’s small-flowered flax CFR Code of Federal Regulations CH Critical Habitat Corps United States Army Corps of Engineers CRC Coral Reef Commons Project DOD U.S. Department of Defense EEL Environmentally Endangered Lands ENP Everglades National Park ESA Endangered Species Act of 1973 FSPSP Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park FBB Florida bonneted bat FB-B Florida brickell-bush FDOT Florida Department of Transportation FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission GIS Geographic Information System HOA Home Owner Association HCP Habitat Conservation Plan HCP Plan Area All areas within the boundary of CRC and the Off-site Mitigation Area (188.86 ac) HVU Habitat Value Unit (unit of measure in the habitat functional assessment) ITP Incidental Take Permit IENSA Illuminating Engineering Society of North America Leafwing Florida leafwing butterfly MDC Miami-Dade County MTB Miami tiger beetle NCA National Climate Assessment NFC Natural Forest Community NFESO North Florida Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Preserves On-site Preserve Areas, and Off-site Preserve PBF Physical and biological features (pertaining to critical habitat designation) PCE Primary constituent elements (pertaining to critical habitat designation) Ram Coral Reef Coral Reef Retail LLC, Coral Reef Resi PH I LLC, and Ramdev LLC RO Southeast Regional Office, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Richmond Area Approximately a 4-square mile area, roughly bound by S.W. 152nd Street to S.W. 184th Street, and S.W. 117th Avenue to S.W. 137th Avenue in which the CRC Property and Off-site Mitigation Area are located Dade County Service United States Fish and Wildlife Service SFESO South Florida Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service iii SOCSOUTH U.S. Army Special Operations Command Center South UM University of Miami USCG United States Coast Guard USDA United States Department of Agriculture iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Endangered Species Act (ESA) Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion (BO/CO) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) addresses our pending decision whether to issue Incidental Take Permit (ITP) TE15009C-0 to the proponents of the Coral Reef Commons (CRC) Project (the Applicants) in response to their ITP application and its associated Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) (the Action). ESA §10(a)(1)(B) provides the authority to issue an ITP, which exempts lawful non-federal actions from prohibitions against taking endangered and threatened species. To comply with ESA §7(a)(2), the BO herein provides the Service’s findings as to whether this ITP Action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened species, or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat. The CO herein provides equivalent findings relative to certain species that are not listed as endangered or threatened. Compliance with the ITP would exempt the taking of the non-listed species if and when each is listed as endangered or threatened during the permit period. The Applicants propose to construct and operate a mixed-use residential and commercial development in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The CRC development plan includes about 900 residential units, stores and other commercial buildings, a school, associated landscaping, and infrastructure improvements that would collectively occupy 86.49 acres. The Applicants request that the ITP for the CRC development and its associated HCP cover the following 22 species (the Covered Species): Common Name ESA Classification Animals Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak butterfly endangered eastern indigo snake threatened Florida bonneted bat endangered Florida leafwing butterfly endangered gopher tortoise candidate - Florida threatened Miami tiger beetle endangered rim rock crowned snake none - listing petition pending white-crowned pigeon none - Florida threatened Plants Blodgett’s silverbush threatened Carter’s small-flowered flax endangered clamshell orchid none - Florida endangered crenulate lead-plant endangered deltoid spurge endangered Everglades bully threatened Florida brickell-bush endangered Florida bristle fern endangered Florida pineland crabgrass threatened v Florida prairie clover endangered Garber’s spurge threatened sand flax endangered Small’s milkpea endangered tiny polygala endangered In the HCP, the Applicants propose various conservation measures to minimize the impacts of CRC construction and operation to the Covered Species. To mitigate the unavoidable impacts to the Covered Species, the Applicants propose to restore and manage 51.41 acres in four on-site Preserves adjacent to the development area, plant 3.88 acres with native species in several “Stepping Stone” areas within the development footprint, and expand the conservation management on a 50.96-acre off-site Preserve. The Applicants determined that the Action is not likely to adversely affect the white-crowned pigeon and the clamshell orchid. Due to the small extent of potential habitat, no evidence that either species is reasonably certain to occur in the HCP plan area, and the likelihood that management of the proposed Preserves would benefit these species should they occur in the plan area during the permit period, the Service concurs with these determinations. For the other 20 Covered Species, the BO/CO reviews their status, baseline conditions within the HCP plan area, effects of the Action, and cumulative effects. Our BO/CO concludes for each species that the Action is not likely to jeopardize its continued existence. Critical habitat designated for four of the Covered Species occurs in the HCP plan area: Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak butterfly, Florida leafwing butterfly, Carter’s small-flowered flax, and Florida brickell-bush. The BO/CO reviews the status of these critical habitats, baseline conditions within the HCP plan area, effects of