Spring Hill, FL Environmental Rules: Coastal Development (2026)

Spring Hill's geography is the central fact for coastal regulation. The platted Spring Hill development sits on the elevated Brooksville Ridge / Spring Hill upland and is approximately 5-10 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico via the unincorporated communities of Aripeka (to the south), Bayport, Pine Island, and Hernando Beach (to the west and northwest). Hernando County sits in Florida's Big Bend region, where the shoreline is dominated by salt marsh, tidal flats, oyster reefs, hardwood swamps, and small 'pocket beaches' rather than the continuous sandy beach-dune system found from Pinellas County south and from Volusia County south on the Atlantic. The Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) under FS Chapter 161 represents the landward limit of FDEP jurisdiction over construction that could damage the sandy beach-dune system based on 100-year storm conditions. Per FDEP, the CCCL is established in 25 of Florida's coastal counties — but the Big Bend coastal counties (Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando, and Pasco) DO NOT have an established CCCL because their shorelines do not present the continuous sandy beach-dune system the program is designed to protect. As a result, there is no CCCL anywhere in Hernando County, including Spring Hill. Coastal-style activities along the Hernando County Gulf shoreline and the lower tidal reaches of the Weeki Wachee River, the Mud River, and the canals at Hernando Beach are instead regulated by: (1) the Hernando County Code of Ordinances (including Chapter 13 Flood Damage Prevention and Chapter 7 Boats and Waterways); (2) the 8th Edition (2023) Florida Building Code §1612 (BFE + freeboard); (3) SWFWMD Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) under FS 373.4131 and FAC 62-330 for dredging, filling, dock construction, seawalls, and stormwater treatment; (4) US Army Corps of Engineers Section 10 (Rivers and Harbors Act) and Section 404 (Clean Water Act) permits for work in waters of the United States; (5) State submerged lands authorization (lease, easement, or letter of consent) from the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund under FS Chapter 253 and FAC 18-21 for any structure on or over sovereign submerged lands. Hurricane Idalia (Aug 30, 2023) drove 3-4 feet of storm surge into Hernando Beach and Hurricane Helene (Sept 26, 2024) measured approximately 9.0 ft above MHHW at Pine Island — both reshaping the local discussion of coastal vulnerability.