The RGP will implement environmental and development planing for 48,150 acres in Walton and Bay counties and protects some of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Northwest Florida.

More than 70 percent of the land covered by the RGP - approximately 30,000 acres that include high quality wetlands - will be protected.  The agreement protects the water resources of 19 sub-basins in the Western Bay County and Walton County watershed and is critical to the preservation of surface water quality for area residents. The plan created by this permit will create a wildlife corridor extending from Choctawhatchee Bay to St. Andrews Bay to preserve the ecological integrity and biological diversity of Northwest Florida’s most important watersheds.
 
In developing the RGP, JOE worked with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
 
For its work to preserve wetlands under this permit, JOE was awarded the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Regional Director’s Conservation Award for 2005.  Also in 2005, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps received the Council for Sustainable Florida’s 2005 Sustainable Florida Governmental Award for “forging a protective, comprehensive agreement with the St. Joe Company to save wetlands.”  According to Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen Castille, “This comprehensive agreement provides far-reaching wetlands protection, preserving sensitive natural resources while still providing for responsible growth in the area. By allowing the economy to grow while safeguarding important water resources, we are protecting the quality of life of those that live and work in Northwest Florida.”