Gopher Tortoise Burrow on Construction Site

[Kevin Zolea]

Hi BP fam,

My parents recently contracted to build a home in Palm Coast, Florida. When the land was cleared, a Gopher Tortoise burrow was discovered. Since this is an endangered species, construction was halted. They were required to obtain a survey costing $500. The survey results came back with 3 burrows that are active, requiring them to obtain a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Before construction can resume, the tortoises must be caught and relocated to a new habitat. The total cost quoted is $3905. We are located in New Jersey and aren't familiar with anything surrounding this topic. If anyone has dealt with this before or has any knowledge on this, I would appreciate any advice or guidance. I feel as if $3905 is a high number and that they may be getting taken advantage of, especially being that we are from out of state and they are elderly.

Thanks in advance,

Kevin

[Robert Kirkley]

Hey @Kevin Zolea!  I am not familiar with the price of the relocation, but I have experience relocating them as an environmental scientist for a consulting firm.  As far as I am aware, it was not cheap to remove them, but completely necessary as you know.