Are the disastrous mistakes of Destin to be our destiny?
“This Concurrency Management System (CMS) ensures that facilities and services needed to support development are available concurrent with the impacts of such development. Prior to the issuance of a development order or land development certificate, the system shall ensure that the adopted level of service standards in this Ordinance for roadways, potable water, sanitary sewer, solid waste, drainage, recreation and open space will be maintained. The County Planning Director, County Engineer, or Navarre Beach Director, or their designees, shall be responsible for ensuring developer compliance with the Concurrency Management System…”
Except Concurrency was suspended by the Santa Rosa County Commissioners (BOCC) and hasn’t been reinstated.
The Heart of Navarre Master Plan calls for 20,000 more residents in Navarre alone; but the Master Plan states that U.S. Highway 98, the access road to this area, already has a failed level of service status F, per FDOT. Anyone who suffers that daily 98 commute knows this: backups and congestion can happen any time of day, anywhere from Destin to Pensacola. Furthermore, the Master Plan states that Highway 98 traffic flow can only be increased by a flyover, or as an alternative, a six-lane highway. There isn’t enough room for much widening, so the Plan concedes that Highway 98 will continue to be a problem which will be exacerbated by the roundabout instead of a traffic light at the Navarre Bridge, where one accident will be the Achille’s Heel for east and westbound traffic. The Master Plan ignores the DOT data that indicate most people using U.S. Highway 98 in Navarre are commuting through Navarre. How about evacuation? How are people supposed to evacuate without a serviceable road?
The Master Plan as written would allow a “less than 100-foot” height limit along the Sound; but “Less than 100-foot height limit,” in English, means a wall of 10-story cement condos and hotels along the Sound south of Highway 98 (Heart of Navarre Master Plan pages 6 – 129). Say goodbye to viewing our beautiful Sound as you drive Highway 98.
BOCC supine
Why does the BOCC remain supine before the interests of developers? Developers should be competing with each other to offer better developments and concessions for the county, in fair exchange for the privilege of exploiting county resources and reaping profits. The BOCC whines they are being held hostage by a landowner threatening to put a dump atop the aquifer that supplies half of the county with drinking water. The BOCC is failing miserably in their representation of the interests of our citizens; they are not assuring concurrency of infrastructure. The developer’s code seems to be, “take what you can, give nothing back.” The BOCC seems incapable of negotiating concessions from would-be developers on behalf of our citizens. In fact, they are demonstrating they cannot even protect our water supply (PNJ April 23, “East Milton landfill” p. A3). Get involved! Email the BOCC: BOCC@santarosa.fl.gov and sign an SOS petition for reinstatement of Concurrency at https://www.change.org/p/sr-board-of-county-commissioners-impact-fees-and-concurrency-in-santa-rosa-county-fl
Alfred Picardi
Gulf Breeze
Mr. Picardi’s (BS, MIT) 40-year career as an environmental scientist/engineer included EPA and consultant to the World Bank, retiring as Environmental Performance Improvement Manager for Exelon Corporation.