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A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study (2002)

Chapter: Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
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Appendix C
Glossary of Terms and Acronym List

GLOSSARY


Affordable Housing Index (AHI):

An index number that relates the cost of housing to the average income for a community or planning unit. The value of the number expresses the ability of the average population to afford housing in the community.

Available Land:

The amount of land remaining available for a land use change or action in a scenario generation after all applicable constraints have been applied.


Benefit-Cost Measure:

A ratio comparing the monetary returns or other benefits of a project or action to the costs of implementation. A value greater than one indicates that the benefits are greater than the associated costs.


Calibration:

the process of altering a model’s input parameters in a systematic and reasonable way in order to produce model output that optimally agrees with corresponding measurements.

Carrying Capacity:

The amount of use an area, resource, facility or system can sustain without deterioration in quality.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

Carrying Capacity Analysis Model (CCAM):

A GIS-based model developed to determine the ability of the Florida Keys ecosystem to withstand all impacts of additional land development activities.

Coefficient:

A numerical value within a formula or computation that expresses a relationship and is applied in a mathematical function.

Competitive Commerce Index (CCI):

An index number comparing the required commercial revenue to disposable income of a community or planning unit, used to estimate whether there is sufficient income to support commercial activities.

Cost of Services:

The cost for a governmental unit to develop infrastructure and other services to the local community.

Creel Survey:

A survey that estimates the amount of angling activity and the harvest of different kinds of fishes in number and weights.


Developable Land:

Land available for development, that is not constricted or precluded due to physical factors, regulatory restrictions, or public ownership, etc.


Emergy:

The solar energy needed to produce a certain resource, good, or service. It is the basis for establishing the real value of a product or service of nature and humanity.

End Point:

A point marking the completion of a process or stage of a process.

Evacuation Capacity:

In this study, this refers to the ability of the highway system (i.e., U.S. Route 1) to allow people to leave the Florida Keys in a given period of time when hurricane warnings are issued.

Exotic Species:

A species introduced into a community that is not normally a constituent of that community - non-native species.

Expert Judgment:

A qualified opinion made by a person or persons who are recognized as experts in the specific field of expertise and who are sufficiently familiar with local conditions and the relevant scientific literature to reduce the level of uncertainty.


Field:

A term used to define the portion of a database that contains all the data entries for a specified item or parameter, such as all “Land Use Type” entries; analogous to a column in a data table.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

Gross Floor Area:

The total commercial or industrial floor area (in square feet) for a facility or area.

Groundwater:

The volume of water naturally occurring under the land surface.


Habitat Conversion:

The change of natural habitat to different land uses through the process of clearing for residential, agricultural, or other land uses.

Habitat Fragmentation:

The dividing of contiguous or whole habitat units, such as forest stands, into smaller units by the conversion of some parts of the habitat to other land uses.

Historic Baseline:

The set of conditions in the Florida Keys defining the natural ecosystem, prior to settlement by European colonists.

Housing Unit:

A house, an apartment, a mobile home or trailer, a group of rooms, or a single room occupied as separate living quarters or, if vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.

Hurricane Evacuation:

The movement of all permanent residents and visitors from the Florida Keys to a safe location on the mainland in anticipation of an approaching hurricane. In this study, this refers to evacuation along the road system.


Impact Assessment Tool:

A procedure, method, or model (such as CCAM) that can be used to aid in the prediction or measurements of impacts from specific causes.

Impact Assessment Variables (IAV):

Environmental and socio-economic variables for which assessments will be conducted and final outputs provided. These are generally outputs from each of the module components.

Independent Population Projection:

An estimate that has been developed in response to documented demographic and economic trends and conditions instead of a future physical development scenario.

Indicator Species:

A plant or animal species for which the responses to a particular stimulus are well documented and typical of other species responses in an area that can be used as a measure or indicator of the extent of effects on an ecological community or group of species.

Indirect Impact (Loss):

An impact that occurs as the result of an action, but which is not immediately caused by the action. An example would be loss of

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

habitat to build a road needed for a new development. The loss of habitat would be a direct impact of the road, but an indirect impact of new development.

Infrastructure:

The basic facilities and equipment necessary for the effective functioning of a town, such as the means of providing water service, sewage disposal, electric and gas connections, and street networks. For the CCAM, adequate data is currently available only for water service and sewage.

Input:

Data that are entered into the CCAM.


Land Use:

A description and classification of how land is occupied or utilized (e.g., residential, office, parks, industrial, commercial, etc).

Level of Service (LOS):

The quality and quantity of existing and planned public services and facilities, rated against an established set of standards to compare actual or projected demand with the maximum capacity of the public service or facility in question.


Mitigation:

Actions or measures taken to alleviate the impacts or effects of certain development activities.

Model:

A system of data, assumptions, and calculations used to represent and visualize reality.

Module:

One of several major parts of the Carrying Capacity Analysis Model. A module is comprised of components.


New Development:

Development that occurs in vacant or unoccupied land, as opposed to a change within already developed land.


Open Space:

Land devoted to uses characterized by vegetative cover or water bodies, such as agricultural uses, pastures, meadows, parks, recreational areas, lawns, gardens, cemeteries, ponds, streams, etc.

Output:

A result that is either used as an input to another CCAM module or as an end-point in an analysis.


Parameter:

A quantity or constant whose value varies with the circumstances of its application or is used as a reference for determining other variables.

Parcel:

Any quantity of land and water capable of being described with such definiteness that its location and boundaries may be established and identified.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

Planning Unit:

See Wastewater Planning Unit.

Polygon:

A multisided feature representing an area on a map, with the boundary of the polygon defined by arcs.

Population Density:

The number of people or individuals within a specified unit area, such as per acre.

Population, Functional:

The sum of permanent and temporary populations in the Florida Keys.

Population, Permanent:

That segment of the population that spends more than half of the year in the Florida Keys.

Population, Seasonal:

That segment of the population that stays in the Keys for 30–180 days usually during the summer or winter “seasons.”

Population, Temporary:

The sum of the transient and seasonal population.

Population, Transient:

That segment of the population that stays in the Florida Keys for less than 30 days; they are typically vacationers.

Potable Water:

Water that is suitable and approved for human consumption; drinking water.

Potable Water Consumption:

The amount or rate of water use.

Public Land:

Refers to land owned by the municipalities in Monroe County or any other governmental entity or agency thereof.


Qualitative:

A number that is not based on a discrete number or unit of measure. This is often an estimate and may be expressed on a relative scale of magnitude.

Quantitative:

A measurement that is based on a number that has known, discrete units of measure.


Redevelopment:

Refers to public and/or private investment made to re-create the fabric of an area that is suffering from physical, social or economic problems related to the age, type, and condition of existing development. Redevelopment can help to meet market needs for residential and/or commercial development in older parts of the town.

Restoration:

The conversion of developed lands into natural areas.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

Routine Planning Tool:

An Internet-based mapping tool to support daily planning activities in Monroe County.

Rubber-banding:

The process of selecting geographic areas smaller than planning units, which are the standard level of analysis in the CCAM, by aggregating adjacent property parcels.

Runoff:

Rain water that moves across the land surface to exit a property or area; stormwater runoff.


Scarified:

Refers to an area of land that is cleared of native vegetation, or topographically modified such that the land is not presently in a successional sequence leading to the establishment of vegetative communities that were previously cleared or disturbed.

Scenario:

A change in land use described by the location, type, extent, and configuration of the land use change. Changes in land use may include new development, redevelopment, and restoration.

Scenario Generator:

A series of screens, buttons, and menus built within the CCAM to assist the user in defining a land development scenario.

Seagrass:

A type of submerged vascular plant (as distinguished from algae) that can form dense stands or beds in shallow marine water that are important marine habitats and energy sources for marine animals. Turtle grass is the main seagrass species in the Keys.

Socioeconomic:

Relating to both social and economic factors.

Stormwater Management:

Refers to the natural and/or constructed features of a property that function to treat, collect, convey, channel, hold, inhibit, or divert the movement of runoff.

Subdivision:

The division of a lot, tract, or parcel of land into two or more lots, plats, sites, or other divisions of land for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale, rent, lease, or building development for all types of land uses, located on an existing, new, widened, or extended street, and requiring the extension of municipal utilities or construction of private on-site systems. It includes re-subdivision and when appropriate to the context, relates to the process of subdividing or to the land or territory subdivided.


Tax Revenue:

Revenue that is derived from various taxes by governmental agencies.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

Threshold:

A point separating conditions that will produce a given effect from conditions of a higher or lower degree.


Unfunded Liabilities:

The costs of facilities or actions that a government jurisdiction has responsibility for based on existing regulations or to meet some code or requirement that are currently not included in its budget and for which funds are not currently available to cover the item.

Use:

The specific activity or function for which land, a building, or a structure is designated, arranged, occupied, or maintained.


Vested Development:

Development projects that have received some form of government approval, such as recording of a subdivision plat, prior to the adoption of Monroe County’s Regulation of Growth Ordinance, that would be issued building permits once the ROGO limits on growth are lifted.


Wasteshed:

The land area above a discharge point that includes all sources of wastewater discharging to that point. In this study, wastesheds have been defined with the same boundaries as watersheds.

Wastewater:

Liquid waste that is treated through some type of sanitary treatment system.

Wastewater Planning Unit:

One of twenty-eight areas throughout the Florida Keys that were used in the Monroe County Sanitary Wastewater Master Plan analysis and documentation.

Wastewater Treatment System:

A facility for processing sanitary wastewater by removing contaminants, nutrients, and pathogens. For example, central treatment systems, septic tanks, and cesspits.

Water Quality Criteria:

Regulatory criteria setting the maximum or minimum value of water constituents for specific purposes, either within water bodies (ambient water quality) or in a discharge stream (discharge criteria).

Watershed:

A catchment area that is otherwise draining to a watercourse or contributing flow to a body of water.


Zoning:

The regulatory mechanism through which a town regulates the location, size, and use of properties and buildings. Zoning regulations are intended to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the community, and to lessen congestion, prevent overcrowding, avoid undue concentration of population, and facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewage, schools, parks, and other public services.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

ACRONYM LIST


ADI

Average Disposable Income

ADID

Advanced Identification of Wetlands

AHI

Affordable Housing Index

ATU

Advanced Treatment Unit

AWT

Advanced Wastewater Treatment


BAT

Best Available Technology

BOD

Biochemical/Biological Oxygen Demand

BFE

Base Flood Elevation

BMP

Best Management Practice


CARL

Conservation and Recreational Lands

CCAM

Carrying Capacity Analysis Model

CCI

Competitive Commerce Index


EDU

Equivalent Dwelling Unit

EMC

Event Mean Concentration


FDCA

Florida Department of Community Affairs

FKCCS

Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study


GFA

Gross Floor Area

GIS

Geographic Information System

GUI

Graphic User Interface


HUD

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development


IAV

Impact Assessment Variable

IWM

Integrated Water Module


LOS

Level of Service


NOAA

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NRC

National Research Council

NRC

Committee The National Research Council Committee to Review the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study


PIIP

Public Involvement and Information Plan


RHDI

Relative Habitat Degradation Index

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×

ROGO

Rate of Growth Ordinance


SLR

Sea Level Rise


TN

Total Nitrogen

TP

Total Phosphorous

TSS

Total Suspended Solids


URS

Corporation URS Corporation is the prime technical contractor for the FKCCS. In 1999, URS Corporation acquired Dames and Moore Group, the company originally selected to conduct the FKCCS.

USACE

United States Army Corps of Engineers

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 105
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 106
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 107
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 108
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 109
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 110
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 111
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 112
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C Glossary of Terms and Acronym List." National Research Council. 2002. A Review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10316.
×
Page 113
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Nearly thirty years ago the Florida Keys were designated as an Area of Critical State Concern. The state recognized that Monroe County contained many valuable natural, environmental, historical, and economic resources that required thoughtful management. In 1996, as a result of many years of discussion, negotiation, and litigation, the Florida Administration Commission issued an Executive Order requiring the preparation of a "carrying capacity analysis" for the Florida Keys. To fulfill this requirement, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Community Affairs jointly sponsored the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study (FKCCS). The key component of this study is a carrying capacity analysis model (CCAM) that provides a technical tool for state and local jurisdictions to "determine the ability of the Florida Keys ecosystem, and the various segments thereof, to withstand all impacts of additional land development activities."

This National Research Council (NRC) report provides a critical review of the Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study: Test Carrying Capacity Analysis Model, First Draft, hereafter referred to as the Draft CCAM. This independent review offers critical commentary in order to assist the sponsors and contractors in making final adjustments to their report and the Carrying Capacity Analysis Model.

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