Wakulla Springs: Gas station proposal sparks outrage ahead of vote

A packed chamber is expected Monday evening when the Wakulla County Commission considers two proposals that together would effectively allow a 16-pump gas station to be built four miles from the famed Wakulla Springs.

This past week, eight groups, including the Wakulla Springs Alliance, Friends of Wakulla Springs, the Sierra Club Florida and Clean Water Wakulla called on members and allies to be in Crawfordville Aug. 7, when the commission considers an amendment to its comprehensive plan and a request by a Bainbridge, GA oil company to change the zoning for a parcel of land from agricultural to commercial.

“We’re going to drive all the turnout we can,” said Ryan Smart of the Florida Springs Council.

Smart lives in Jacksonville and expects the small Wakulla County Commission chambers which holds fewer than 200 people will be shoulder-to-shoulder and hot when he speaks in opposition to the proposals.

The last time the commission addressed the zoning of the parcel, February 2022, an overflow crowd filled the hallway outside the chamber, and the item was pulled from the agenda.

Back story:Fears of gas station near Wakulla Springs on pause after company pulls rezoning request

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Commissioners will attempt to navigate a resolution to a dispute that’s been brewing ever since and pits the interests of springs protection against property rights.

The coalition of springs defenders has opposed plans by the Southwest Georgia Oil Company to place a gas station at the intersection of Crawfordville Highway (U.S. 319) and Bloxham Cutoff Road (FL 267) since the company first announced its plans in 2022.

The land is four miles from the Springs, is currently zoned for agriculture, and sits above a serpentine cave through which an underground river flows and connects the aquifer to the Spring.

Residents have told the commission in numerous meetings over the last 18 months they believe the site's porous karst bedrock and the cave makes it unsuitable for the petroleum storage tanks a gas station needs.

Statewide groups have joined with them and have expressed concerns that a gasoline spill, a leaky tank, a sinkhole suddenly opening and swallowing the tanks could irrevocably damage Wakulla Springs, a slice of a tropical jungle and an international tourism destination 15 miles south of Tallahassee.

The Sierra Club Florida Florida issued a statement Friday that explained that Southwest Georgia Oil's request is about more than a gas station.

"Our task is to remind the commissioners that they have a singular treasure that gives people from around the state, and the world, a reason to visit Wakulla County, and that something as seemingly innocuous as a gas station could take their county off the map, not only for visitors, but also for those who have lived in the county for generations. In this case, a gas station is not just a gas station," said the Sierra's Cris Costello.

Commission Chair Ralph Thomas told residents two weeks ago that the decision before the commission is about whether a piece of property should be zoned agricultural or commercial, not about what kind of business would be permitted if the changes were enacted.

“If you guys go buy that piece of property and want to put an organic produce stand in there, you are going to need a Comprehensive Plan change. And you are going to need a rezoning request,” explained Thomas.

And Commissioner Mike Kemp, a fifth-generation Wakulla native, pushed back at allegations a vote to rezone the property places the interest of an out-of-state company above those of residents.

"I don't even know the guy who owns (the) Southwest Georgia Company … but what I care about is property rights. If any of y’all could own that piece of property, ... if you meet the criteria you should be able to do what you want with your property,” said Kemp.

The criteria in this example are compliance with a comprehensive plan, which regulates where and how a community will develop, and zoning, which governs land use.

Opponents respond that an out-of-state company made a speculative investment on a piece of property that was not approved for the use they wanted: A use that could lead to the destruction of the Wakulla Spring system if something went wrong.

A new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May is figuring heavily into the eventual outcome of the vote.

SB 540 makes the losing party in a challenge to changes in a local government comprehensive plan responsible for the attorney fees and costs of the prevailing party.

SB 540 supporters argued it would reduce a number of lawsuits that served only to delay developments. Opponents had protested that it would reduce residents' access to the courts and participation in local governing decisions.

Smart said because of the financial liability the new law creates, the coalition of springs groups believe the last realistic chance to stop the project is in the commission chambers, not the courtroom.

“If the commissioners approve these changes, it’s going to be nearly impossible for anyone to challenge them,” said Smart. “A citizen group would have to be able to pay their lawyer, the oil company’s lawyers, the county’s lawyers. That’s a huge bar for a small nonprofit to hoist.”

Eighteen months ago, after Southwest Georgia pulled a re-zoning request from the Commission's agenda, the Wakulla Springs Alliance initiated a series of workshops that drew up to 60 residents in an effort to write stricter regulations of hazardous materials.

The coalition wants the county to include those regulations as an amendment to the county’s 29-year-old springs protection ordinance.

Commissioner Chuck Hess tried to introduce the citizen's proposal for a discussion at a July meeting but failed to get a second and the motion died.

When none of the other four commissioners supported Hess's motion, it sparked a furor of outrage from residents. Media reports noted that people started yelling and wagging their fingers in commissioners' faces for refusing to discuss their proposal.

Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory founder Jack Rudloe was among at least three people ejected from the meeting by Sheriff deputies. Rudloe later posted his trespass citation on his Facebook page and blasted commissioners for "pandering to wishes of their puppet master developers."

Smart and others intend to ask the Commission Monday to delay acting on the amendment to the Comprehensive Plan and rezoning request until it adopts stricter regulations to protect the springs.

“It’s such a reasonable ask. They are fully within their right to do nothing and not approve the items until they can get a springs protection ordinance and a cave protection ordinance in place,” said Smart.

The Wakulla County Commission is scheduled to meet Monday at 5 p.m. in the commission’s chambers behind the Wakulla County Courthouse in Crawfordville. The Tallahassee Democrat will offer coverage of the meeting online and in print.

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow on him Twitter: @CallTallahassee