Proposed Seagrove Road Through Point Washington State Forest

You are hereby notified that the Walton County Board of Commissioners will hold a SPECIAL MEETING on Monday, July 31, 2017 at the South Walton Courthouse Annex located at 31 Coastal Centre Blvd., Santa Rosa beach, FL as stated below:

1:00 PM CR30A Traffic Study Update Presentation with Atkins North America, Inc. -to discuss alignment location for alternate routes to provide congestion relief at the intersection of CR30A & CR395. Discussions will include ROW needs, environmentally sensitive land impacts, floodplain impacts and estimated cost of construction.

2:00 PM Driftwood Road/Ellis Road Presentation with Atkins North America, Inc. -to discuss the preliminary report to incorporate drainage, infrastructure and potential pedestrian facilities within the ROW.

Remember you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.

Hmmmm ... reduce the number of cars or reduce the number of trees? I choose trees.

Hmmmm ... reduce the number of cars or reduce the number of trees? I choose trees.

I do believe another route off of 30a is needed. I think the concern is opportunity that occurs to build along that route which I personally hope does not occur.

I do believe another route off of 30a is needed. I think the concern is opportunity that occurs to build along that route which I personally hope does not occur.

I think the upcoming changes to the 30a/395 intersection will solve current backup problems. We really don't have space for a wider 30a or any new feeder roads so the smart course would be to stop further development. We've always valued our natural environment in SoWal and people need to continue to protect it.

Problem is that if it's limited south of the bay it will just move north of the bay and huge residential projects up there will also ruin the beaches and lakes and scenic roads.

I think the upcoming changes to the 30a/395 intersection will solve current backup problems. We really don't have space for a wider 30a or any new feeder roads so the smart course would be to stop further development. We've always valued our natural environment in SoWal and people need to continue to protect it.

Problem is that if it's limited south of the bay it will just move north of the bay and huge residential projects up there will also ruin the beaches and lakes and scenic roads.

I appreciate your point but I don't see anything fixing that intersection other than getting folks a different avenue off of 30a. When I have to be down there which is not to often i go east and cut up through camp creek golf course. Probably doesn't save me anytime but I feel much safer.

I will say this. Of the two options, the power line option is best hands down. The "bypass" will still dump all the traffic onto 395 and will do no one any good. Why build in the forest if the new road does not help anything?

Danny is right. I don't even know why people are talking about this new "shortcut option" anymore. It's clouding the issue. The "power line option" will be far less disruptive and give drivers better options going both east and west. The county should be focusing on how to make that happen.

I also heard that if the powerline option was selected they would do the pass thru tunnels for wildlife. That seems to be the lesser of the 2 evils. I want to protect our state forest as much as the next person but we have to have another option. A feeder road is just absurd and a waste of time. It will also disturb neighborhoods that need to be left alone. The powerline road will also be wonderful once the new school is complete for those moms that have to fight the 3 way stop every morning during the school year!!

I also heard that if the powerline option was selected they would do the pass thru tunnels for wildlife. That seems to be the lesser of the 2 evils. I want to protect our state forest as much as the next person but we have to have another option. A feeder road is just absurd and a waste of time. It will also disturb neighborhoods that need to be left alone. The powerline road will also be wonderful once the new school is complete for those moms that have to fight the 3 way stop every morning during the school year!!

Unfortunately "as much as the next person" is not enough. The taking of conservation lands will become death by a thousand cuts. Give an inch and they'll take a mile.

How about a cut through road through Deer Lake State Park for St. Joe homeowners? A fast food restaurant on 30A on the edge of Grayton Beach State Park land? What about a golf cart rental business in Topsail Hill State Park? How about a new TDC building on the edge of the state forest?

A road from 30a to 98 through state forest would be a huge gash through our sensitive midsection, carving up precious habitat. And there would be more requests after that. And after that. And ...

When my mind really gets to wandering, I can see that this "power line road" need not be a scar through the forest. It could be done, not just environmentally friendly, but could be done in a way that could be a showcase for well done natural roads. At first, I thought what about a long tunnel under the forest...then, when I sobered up, I'm now thinking why not "half a tunnel"! Why not dig the roadway half way down into the ground, wherever it is feasible, with a lush canopy of native tropical plants growing overhead as camouflage. It could have wildlife passages coming over it in places. In other places it could be elevated through the wetlands. If a bike path is included, it might could intertwine a little, or deviate away in places, just to make the whole thing natural.

Or we could b**ch and moan, Sowaller style, for the next five years... but that's getting old.

The problem with any of these solutions seems to be that everyone now understands that if you give an inch, THEY take a mile.

That's the problem. What sort of precedent will this set for the future?

The traffic issue is serious, but so is the fact that elected officials will look back and have an easy excuse for more and more and more.

Enough B. .

I'm not saying you might not have a point, but the situation is getting to a critical point. I think a seriously legal and binding document can be forged to keep the sanctity of this ONE CONNECTOR ROAD. If you look at the map at the logical layout of all the other old historically useful roads, it is just common sense. I bet most everybody who is asking for this road would be rather content with no more roads after that. Then it will just be a matter of when 30-A goes four lane.

I'm not saying you might not have a point, but the situation is getting to a critical point. I think a seriously legal and binding document can be forged to keep the sanctity of this ONE CONNECTOR ROAD. If you look at the map at the logical layout of all the other old historically useful roads, it is just common sense. I bet most everybody who is asking for this road would be rather content with no more roads after that. Then it will just be a matter of when 30-A goes four lane.

Totally Agree.

The issue is the "legal and binding document"... Don't get me started on those and how they've been enforced. It seems as if nothing is legal and binding in these here parts...

Let's look at the Wedding House issue. Hey Mark Davis, where is all that money from the suit? It doesn't exist and weddings still go on... And Mark is at a private firm now.

We cannot currently trust the elected officials to handle this in an honest manner. That's my issue with the precedence. Could be solved...

Well, I'm assuming if this is a state forest, it would have to be state ink on the docs, but then I thought of our governor, and I started to think about getting into some heavy drinking...

Ha ha ha.

The State is also in charge of the Tops'l "please park here" program which sounds good but actually park sees ZERO dollars from. All that $$$ goes into general fund and is most likely distributed elsewhere. Yet that Campground is one of the TOP in the State.

The "State" is a joke.

Let's rember all watercolors,Watersound,hub where all apart of that forest.A road through power lines will be best for all.

Let's rember all watercolors,Watersound,hub where all apart of that forest.A road through power lines will be best for all.

1. those towns were built on private lands, not state.
2. you're opinion is those towns are better than what was there before?
3. not best for all.
4. keep your hands off my lands.

Let's rember all watercolors,Watersound,hub where all apart of that forest.A road through power lines will be best for all.

Does that mean we should keep chopping away at protected forest lands till its all gone..I'm sure that's exactly what the developers have in mind!

If it gets me out of traffic .yes

Other than bypass through state land, what solutions are being proposed??

I can't stop chop. 30-A has been chopped since 1969. We can insist on preventive measures. We have to do the best we can.

Other than bypass through state land, what solutions are being proposed??

There simply aren't any solutions to ease traffic problems, in the east "hemisphere", without going through state forests. We have agonized over this for many years, and we have to face reality sometimes. I want to remind people for the hundereth time, all anybody is proposing is ONE CONNECTOR ROAD, not a network, not a turnpike. It is could be done with great care. It is necessary.

We can all sit around and bemoan the fact that we allowed too much development for the available infrastructure along the 30-A corridor and that we are woefully behind on infrastructure. We can all bemoan the fact that politicians have far too often sold us down the river and if we are honest, bemoan the fact that those people are where they are/were because we put them there. We can do yet another study or we can advocate "solutions" that are not legal or possible like declaring a ban on new development.
Or.
We can get busy on working towards solutions, both short and long term.
1. Immediately install a traffic light at 30-A/395
2. Begin work on turn lanes at the same intersection.
3. Begin the permitting and engineering work on a connector road along the power line that is fenced and has adequate bridges over wetlands and animal crossings under the roadway.
4. Begin the permitting and engineering for turn lanes on all the north/south connector roads and the arteries that feed into them so that traffic flows better across the grid.
5. Where ROW permits, build turn lanes at all the major 30-A intersections and begin replacing 4-way stops along the roadway with traffic signals. Finish the above engineered projects.
6. Begin the planning and property acquisition for off-site parking and a mass transit solution throughout the 30-A grid for workers and visitors.
7. Fund these projects with traffic concurrency funds as much as possible and strictly enforce the LDC and comp plan regarding traffic capacity. Tighten the codes if needed.
8. Fully fund the South Walton TIF to provide a funding source for these projects.
This plan is not perfect but we cannot fail to act any further and these steps will help. Some will take years to come to fruition, but if we do not begin the process now, then 5-10 years from now we will have a dramatically worse situation and no hope in sight of addressing the issues. I wish things were perfect and in a perfect world we would not need to encroach one foot into the forest. But things are almost out of control and our people deserve to be able to move about and conduct their business without sitting in gridlock for hours every day. Not to mention that if you are the victim you want emergency vehicles to be able to get to you or your home in time.

ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO DESTROY OUR CONSERVATION and RECREATION LAND! Please attend the special meeting on the proposed road through Point Washington State Forest. Monday July 31 at 1:00 pm. At the South Walton Annex. As you can see from the maps below the proposed road will obliterate parts of the Eastern Lake Trail System, including the Cassine Garden Trail! Attend the meeting and speak out against this proposal. Our Conservation and Recreation Lands need to remain Conservation and Recreation. Please share this post.

Can anyone provide an update on what happened at the meeting? I own property in Cassine and I'm very concerned about losing the Cassine Garden Trail. Thanks.