Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for Sand Skink and Bluetail Mole Skink; Lake County, FL; Categorical Exclusion

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Clayton Properties Group, Inc. dba Highland Homes (Radio Road) (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened sand skink (skinks) incidental to the construction of a mixed residential development and the associated clearing and infrastructure in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement for HCPs, which is available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.