Red Bay residents voice concerns over industrial rezoning of D&H sand pit

Yahoo

14-02-2025

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – D&H Sand is asking the county to rezone their sand pit, just west of Highway 81 in Red Bay, to heavy industrial.
They made the initial request in October. Recently residents noticed an updated sign offering land clearing debris and mining. Three residents who live within a thousand feet of the sand pit received a certified letter from Emerald Coast Associates Engineering about the rezoning request.
But residents say how the land will be used is unclear.
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'There's a lot of uses for heavy industrial. So we don't know what their intended use is going to be either. I mean, they could be an incinerator concrete or asphalt plant. Don't know. A dump,' Red Bay resident Eva Sutherland said.
Walton County conducted an environmental assessment of the area in November. They found no evidence of endangered species on the site. But residents say they see threatened species in the area, like the Gopher Tortoise.
'Many, many, many times you see these gopher tortoises and they're inside. Most of our property is sand and as such, water percolates through that sand at extremely rapid rate,' Red Bay resident Jeanne Carter said.
The sand pit is surrounded by wetlands and the Nokuse conservation area. Residents believe chemicals from the site could get into the aquifer, and affect their well water.
'That sand plant is surrounded on all sides by wetlands, and it's pretty extensive. So there's a lot of acres systems that are at risk. Are all of us drink well, water down and read by. We don't have city water,' Red Bay native Cindy Spence said.
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Emerald Coast Associates Engineering's President, Dean Burgis is also a member of the planning commission. He says he will recuse himself from voting on the request.
They're hoping to know more by the next planning commission meeting on March 13th. That's when the board will make their recommendation about the rezoning request, which would go to Walton County Commissioners for a final vote.
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