For more than a year, environmentalists and community activists have presented the commission with science and facts explaining why a gas station at Crawfordville Road and Bloxham Cutoff is a bad idea. The area is on top of Chip’s Hole Cave which flows into Wakulla Springs.
Last week, eight businesses and advocacy groups released a call-to-action to protest the proposal and ask commissioners to pump the brakes.
Renee Murray is on the Board of Directors for the group “Friends of Wakulla Springs.” Murray says commissioners should stop and think about the springs as more than just a body of water.
“Wakulla Springs is a huge economic driver for this entire part of Florida," said Murray. "It is a world-renowned spring and people come from all over the world to see it. That’s why people should care.”
Southwest Georgia Oil Company purchased a vacant 7-acre lot for a new gas station. But, that lot sits above the Chip’s Hole Cave System. The 7-mile-long cavern connects to the Wakulla cave system and is made up of mostly limestone. Murray says the cave’s features would mean any potential leaks or spills at the gas station would endanger the health of one of the world’s largest springs.
“We are in a very karst environment meaning its Swiss cheese, right? It’s a threat. There's a potential for discharge. It is an issue that cannot be ignored,” said Murray.
Talks over switching the property from agriculture to commercial use came up during last month’s commission meeting. While the rezoning proposal was not yet on the table, community leaders asked the board to consider updating the county’s ordinance or even adopting a citizen crafted one to protect the springs.
But Commission Chairman Ralph Thomas told residents he wants to ensure the property is acquired legally – rather than dwell on its intended purpose.
“Our job is not to say we like it, we hate it, it’s good, it’s bad. Our job is-- have they followed the rules. Have they followed the process,” said Thomas.
Thomas said the citizen proposal did not go through the proper state channels and 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 public hearing to decide on the zoning changes and comprehensive plan request by Southwest Georgia Oil Company will be held Aug. 7th at 5 pm.