......And Why the Board Has Finally Run Out of Excuses

Wakulla County is at a breaking point and everyone knows it. The people who live here every day, who pay the taxes, who sit in traffic, who watch their kids get rezoned, who see the springs they grew up loving turn cloudy… they’re done.

Done with piecemeal approvals.
Done with “just six homes.”
Done with developers buying rural land cheap and demanding instant density windfalls.
Done with a Board that, for far too long, made it easy to approve growth and hard for the public to be heard.

But that era is over. And CPM25‑04 is the first real test of whether the Board understands that.

A Quick History Lesson the County Would Prefer You Forget 🕰️

From roughly 2014 through 2025, regular BOCC meetings were held at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, a time when most working residents were still on the job, stuck in traffic, or picking up kids. Many meetings lasted 20 minutes or less.

And what got pushed through during those lightning sessions?
Land‑use changes.
Comprehensive plan amendments.
Density increases.
Zoning flips.

The pattern was obvious:
Low attendance = low opposition = easy approvals.

But the public woke up.
People started reading agendas.
They joined community groups.
They started commenting on social media (until the BOCC turned off the comments - don't worry, we've got your back!)
They requested public records.
They coordinated campaigns.

And the Board felt the pressure.
The shift to 6:00 p.m. meetings (effective November 2025) was not a gift - it was a concession - a lone commissioner asked for it, and we were given a glimmer of grace.

Now the public is watching.
And they’re not going anywhere.

Enter CPM25‑04 - The Test Case of Whether the Board Is Listening 👀

Golden Construction Company, Inc. is asking for a large‑scale comprehensive plan map amendment for 30.42 acres on Jack Crum Road.

This is not a small request.
This is not a harmless request.
This is not a responsible request.

This is a textbook example of why residents are furious.

Let’s break down the reasons - clearly, factually, and without sugarcoating.

🏷️➡️💰 The Developer Bought the Land Knowing the Rules - Then Tried to Change Them Just a Handful of Months Later

Golden Construction purchased the parcel in June 2025.
At that moment, it was designated Agriculture FLU and AG zoning:

• 1 dwelling per 20 acres

• Maximum of 1.6 homes

They bought rural land at rural prices under rural rules.
Then - less than six months later - they asked the Board to quadruple the density.

This is not “planning.”
This is not “growth management.”
This is speculation.

Buy cheap → demand a density windfall → subdivide → sell high.

And every time the Board approves one of these quick‑turnaround flips, it reinforces the public’s worst fears:
If you have money, the rules don’t apply to you.

🌲🚫🏘️This Is Not “Infill” - It’s Scattered Rural Sprawl in a Sensitive Area

Jack Crum Road is a quiet, sparsely developed rural corridor.
Surrounding parcels are overwhelmingly Agriculture FLU and AG zoning.

Public notices went to fewer than 15 adjacent owners.

This is not infill.
This is not urban edge.
This is punching a hole in one of the last remaining rural areas near the coastal fringe.

Approve this, and the dominoes fall:
One “just six homes” becomes the precedent for the next parcel… and the next… and the next.

Wakulla Springs BMAP / PFA2: Adding More Septic Here Is Environmental Sabotage 💧⚠️

This parcel sits deep inside the Wakulla Springs Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) Primary Focus Area 2 - one of the most nitrogen‑sensitive zones in the entire state.

Here’s what the science says:

• Standard septic: 11.49 lb nitrogen/year

• Enhanced INRB septic: 6.44 lb/year

• Central sewer (AWT): 0.47 lb/year

There is no central sewer on Jack Crum Road.
The proposal is private wells + enhanced septic.

That means more nitrogen loading into the aquifer that feeds Wakulla Springs - an already imperiled natural treasure.

And we all know how this story ends:
Developer installs septic → sells lots → nitrogen increases → county applies for grants → taxpayers pay to convert the septic later.

We’ve seen it in:

• Wakulla Gardens

• Magnolia Gardens

• Lake Ellen

• Crawfordville East

• Panacea/Mashes Sands

• And dozens more

Why repeat the same mistake?

🚧Infrastructure, 🚸Schools, and Roads Are Already Redlining

Wakulla is drowning in catch‑up projects:

• Lake Ellen septic‑to‑sewer ($15.6M)

• Wakulla Gardens Phases 5–7

• Magnolia Gardens conversions

• Crawfordville East V–VI ($6.1M)

• Newport water tank/generator

• Panacea inflow fixes

Schools?
Bursting.
Rezoning again for 2026–27.
Portables everywhere.

Roads?
Jack Crum was never designed for subdivision traffic.

Impact fees?
NONE.

Who pays?
Existing residents.

The County’s Own Analysis Says We Don’t Need This

The 2017 Residential Needs Analysis concluded Wakulla already has enough planned density to accommodate growth through 2035.

The applicant’s rebuttal?
“Market preference.”

Translation:
We want to build here because it’s profitable.

That is not a public purpose.

The Public Has Spoken - Loudly, Repeatedly, and in Unison 📣🔥

The packet shows multiple written objections.
January 2026 saw a wave of coordinated emails from residents across the county.

This is not scattered opposition.
This is organized, informed, community‑wide resistance.

And staff’s recommendation?
Option #3: Board Direction.
Not approval.
Not denial.
Just… caution.

That speaks volumes.

🚫The Bottom Line: Deny It. Or Postpone Until Sewer Exists.

The Board has full discretion to deny CPM25‑04.
Legally.
Ethically.
Responsibly.

Because:

• The developer bought under Agriculture rules - hold them to it

• BMAP/PFA2 demands nitrogen reduction - not new loads

• Taxpayers are tired of paying twice - once for the septic (at home purchase), once for the conversion (then the grants make EVERYONE pay)

• Schools and roads are maxing out - no capacity (some argue they already are at max)

• The public is awake - and watching

This isn’t anti‑growth.
This is anti‑reckless‑growth.
This is pro‑Wakulla.

Commissioners: The 5:00 p.m. days are over. The public is in the room.

Deny CPM25‑04.
Or at the very least, postpone it until sewer is feasible and infrastructure catches up.

Wakulla deserves better than another preventable mistake.

You can turn off Facebook comments on YOUR page, but Wakulla Reports will be live at 6 p.m. on February 17, 2026 and up for commenting!

Take Action 📬🗣️

• Attend the February 17, 2026 – 6:00 p.m. meeting

• Speak

• Email the commissioners - you can conveniently do it all at one time here

• Share this post

• Bring a friend

• Comment on our live stream!

This one matters - for the springs, for the schools, for the rural soul of Wakulla County, and for the trust that’s been broken for far too long.

Now's your chance! Stay sharp, Wakulla!