Wakulla County Commissioners are under fire for ignoring a proposal that would put tighter restrictions on Wakulla Springs. The draft was drawn up by residents who say the county’s current ordinance does little to protect the Springs from pollution.
Dozens of residents were in attendance to present their amendment to a 1994 Springs Protection Ordinance. But when the moment came to consider the community-crafted plan, no commissioner would second a motion by Commissioner Chuck Hess to even discuss the proposal. This means the regulation will remain untouched.
The move infuriated the crowd and sparked a protest and led to three citizens being escorted out the meeting by law enforcement.
Commission Chairman Ralph Thomas says he and others did not act on the citizen-based proposal because it did not go through the proper state channels, and it intrudes on buyers’ property rights.
“When these things come before us, we have an obligation to follow the law," said Thomas. "We have an obligation to protect our client, the citizens who put us here. We get that, but we can’t violate the law in the process of that.”
The push to update the county’s ordinance come from a recent rezoning proposal by a Georgia-based oil company. The corporation submitted, but eventually withdrew plans to build a 16-pump gas station and car wash over part of the spring.
The board was not in unanimous agreement over the ordinance. Commissioner Hess, who made the motion in favor of the citizen-based proposal, blasted his fellow board members for their lack of action on it.
“You keep saying keep saying you care about our water well, you had an opportunity tonight to do something," said Hess.
According to a county spokesperson, Wakulla’s 1994 ordinance remains in effect. The county plans to partner with the state to continue its ongoing efforts to remove wastewater from the area by removing septic tanks and expanding the sewer system.