Fort Myers, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)

Fort Myers's MS4 framework sits at the intersection of federal Clean Water Act §402(p) authority, FDEP's statewide NPDES delegation (Florida Statutes 403.0885), and the city's local enforcement mechanism. As a Phase II regulated small MS4, the city operates under FDEP's Generic Permit for Stormwater Discharge from Phase II MS4s (FLR04E000 series), which requires a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) addressing the six minimum control measures: public education and outreach, public involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE), construction site runoff control, post-construction stormwater management, and pollution prevention/good housekeeping. The city's IDDE program prohibits the dumping of anything other than uncontaminated stormwater into city inlets, swales, and storm pipes — paint, motor oil, soap suds from commercial washing, concrete washout, chlorinated pool water, fertilizer slurry, sediment, sanitary sewage, and chemical washwater are explicitly prohibited. Construction sites of one acre or more (including sites that are part of a larger common plan of development) must file an NOI with FDEP under the Generic Construction Permit before ground disturbance, maintain a written SWPPP on site, install perimeter BMPs (silt fence, vehicle tracking control pads, inlet protection, concrete washout containment), and provide for permanent post-construction treatment in accordance with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) criteria. Drainage plans submitted with site permits are reviewed by the City Engineer under the City of Fort Myers Standards Manual. The Stormwater Division can be reached at (239) 321-7595 (or 24-hour Public Works dispatch at (239) 321-8100); illicit discharges should be reported through the SeeClickFix portal or by phone immediately. The receiving water — the Caloosahatchee River (Class III estuarine, designated as an Outstanding Florida Water through Caloosahatchee NEP boundaries) — is on the FDEP impaired waters list for nutrients (Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nitrogen) and is part of the Lake Okeechobee/Caloosahatchee River Watershed Restoration Plan administered by SFWMD.