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.
Replies
45Beach Comber
This will only get more cars along 30-A. Many times cars are backed up heading west almost to Goatfeathers and on to Watercolor. How does this help? Time to stop the developer driven TDC and BCC. Show some respect for residents and ALL property tax payers.
Beach Fanatic
This will only get more cars along 30-A. Many times cars are backed up heading west almost to Goatfeathers and on to Watercolor. How does this help? Time to stop the developer driven TDC and BCC. Show some respect for residents and ALL property tax payers.
Agreed.This is a real thing. You can experience it in Destin. Read more here:
Induced demand - Wikipedia
SoWal Insider
I'm going to accept it as fact,(cuz, I'm a Democrat, and that's the way we roll) but I'm still going to see the possibilities that this proposed connector road will actually be two-laned, and will actually take quite a few cars away from a two lane, overcrowded road (30-A) to a faster flowing four lane highway (98) with all due haste.
Beach Comber
Best I can tell 395 will still be two lanes north of the connector connection to 395. Just more and more backups. Let's go with that reduced demand thing.
Beach Fanatic
Best I can tell 395 will still be two lanes north of the connector connection to 395. Just more and more backups. Let's go with that reduced demand thing.Unless you were born and raised here, which I am not, you are part of the problem with the current situation.
Beach Fanatic
I've been here 19 years and I agree. We created this mess - live with it!
Beach Comber
Unless you were born and raised here, which I am not, you are part of the problem with the current situation.WOW...I have only been her for 23 years.
Beach Fanatic
I bet the Native Americans would agree...
We should all just leave and go "home".
We should all just leave and go "home".
Beach Fanatic
Or quit bitchin and live with it!
Beach Fanatic
WOW...I have only been her for 23 years.Same here. Hard for me to get upset by all that happens because of tourism and traffic and the like because I see myself as part of the reason it is like it is. That being said who am I to complain when someone sees what I saw 23 years ago and wants to move here or vacation here. Just saying.
SoWal Insider
You are correct. All that talk about new roads will cause new demand is an argument of rather modest concern. The demand has always been there (with the same roads since 1969) and has always been increasing since I got here... and that was a long, long time ago.
Beach Fanatic
I have been here all my life and except for 98 the roads are the same as when I was in high school.
Beach Lover
I have been here all my life and except for 98 the roads are the same as when I was in high school.
Yes sir, I`m right there with you.
Beach Fanatic
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.Totally agree with you Danny...we need to act now with real solutions. The past is the past and what's done is done. Vision and foresight has not been an attribute on the part of the powers that be. Still studying and talking about this for years!!!
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.
Goverons...There are worse things happening on 30A roads and the pedestrian/bike path than cutting a road through a state forest. Hey people If you have ever traveled to any of the hundreds of state forests in this country you reach it by a road that's been cut through.
Skunky
We may just have to await the arrival of flying cars.
Beach Lover
A Road Through the State Forest Could Be in South Walton's Future
Discussions of building a road cutting thru the State Forest in South Walton is getting a lot of attention. Earlier this week, Governor Rick Scott spoke with Walton County officials, about the potential idea but, this is not the first time this idea was proposed.
For decades, there has been discussion of building a cut through road right here in the middle of Point Washington State Forest, dating back to at least 2003.
"When this idea came up in 2003 the division of forestry said, "Well, put your road on the eastern boundary of the conservation land," recalled Celeste Cobena, Let It Be Forest, spokesperson.
The lands were originally bought for conservation and recreation. Now, the proposed idea is to build a road that would run along a power line, parallel to Hwy 98 and CR 30a.
"It's not a political thing, it's the right thing to do. Ultimately, you need to have that access to evacuate people off of 30a. It is not designed for that," explained Sheriff Michael Adkinson, Walton County Sheriff's Office.
"The statistics they are talking about are prior to the 331 bridge and the four landing of 331....this additional road actually only increase the bottle neck," said Cobena.
Cobena's concern is, the impact to nearly 12 acres that she says, would interrupt the hydrology of waters and diminish habitats.
"The county really has created the traffic problems on 30a, by not following the comprehensive plan and allowing increased, increased density," stated Cobena.
Governor Rick Scott took note of what the county still needs and asked one last question.
"What do you need me to do," asked Governor Rick Scott, State of Florida.
Tony Anderson, Walton County Commissioner replied, "We just need to get approval to do it."
"We need to get it run up to you. I think they (the County) are still working on some studies, they have to do to get it in front of the Cabinet," added Sheriff Adkinson.
"So, we are going to see if there is a way to accelerate that and then we, you know, we have been able to dramatically increase our State Budget for transportation," said Governor Scott.
Without the Cabinet's approval to expedite the process, the idea will be back to square one.
Governor Scott has less than seven months left in office. He says told Walton County Commissioners he plans to discuss the idea with the Cabinet during one of their future meetings.
Discussions of building a road cutting thru the State Forest in South Walton is getting a lot of attention. Earlier this week, Governor Rick Scott spoke with Walton County officials, about the potential idea but, this is not the first time this idea was proposed.
For decades, there has been discussion of building a cut through road right here in the middle of Point Washington State Forest, dating back to at least 2003.
"When this idea came up in 2003 the division of forestry said, "Well, put your road on the eastern boundary of the conservation land," recalled Celeste Cobena, Let It Be Forest, spokesperson.
The lands were originally bought for conservation and recreation. Now, the proposed idea is to build a road that would run along a power line, parallel to Hwy 98 and CR 30a.
"It's not a political thing, it's the right thing to do. Ultimately, you need to have that access to evacuate people off of 30a. It is not designed for that," explained Sheriff Michael Adkinson, Walton County Sheriff's Office.
"The statistics they are talking about are prior to the 331 bridge and the four landing of 331....this additional road actually only increase the bottle neck," said Cobena.
Cobena's concern is, the impact to nearly 12 acres that she says, would interrupt the hydrology of waters and diminish habitats.
"The county really has created the traffic problems on 30a, by not following the comprehensive plan and allowing increased, increased density," stated Cobena.
Governor Rick Scott took note of what the county still needs and asked one last question.
"What do you need me to do," asked Governor Rick Scott, State of Florida.
Tony Anderson, Walton County Commissioner replied, "We just need to get approval to do it."
"We need to get it run up to you. I think they (the County) are still working on some studies, they have to do to get it in front of the Cabinet," added Sheriff Adkinson.
"So, we are going to see if there is a way to accelerate that and then we, you know, we have been able to dramatically increase our State Budget for transportation," said Governor Scott.
Without the Cabinet's approval to expedite the process, the idea will be back to square one.
Governor Scott has less than seven months left in office. He says told Walton County Commissioners he plans to discuss the idea with the Cabinet during one of their future meetings.
Beach Fanatic
Sheriff, Commissioners, and Dick Scott - keep your hands off our land!!
Beach Lover
Sheriff, Commissioners, and Dick Scott - keep your hands off our land!!
Our land? The land belongs to the State doesn't it?
Beach Fanatic
Our land? The land belongs to the State doesn't it?WE are the owners - not the politicians!
Beach Lover
Ha sorry I see your logic now.
Checking your forum account
Please wait while we verify your forum account.