Okaloosa County BOCC — January 18, 2013 — Draft Implementation Grant Request Narrative — reading text

1/3/13 Tri-County Joint Land Use Study Implementation Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties, Florida Narrative 1. Introduction. The Tri-County area of Okaloosa, Walton, and Santa Rosa Counties in Northwest Florida completed a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) for Eglin Air Force Base in June 2009. Okaloosa County, Florida, the sponsoring jurisdiction, requests technical and financial assistance from the Office of Economic Adjustment, to bring closure to the Eglin AFB JLUS through a final push for maximum implementation of the study’s recommendations across the 15 jurisdictions involved. Participating jurisdictions accepted the final JLUS report in 2009 and many immediately implemented some of the recommendations. A key recommendation from the JLUS was to conduct a Small Area Study to provide more specific review and recommendations for the land in the areas designated as Military Influence Planning Area III. This is an expansive land mass immediately under the low-level flight corridors, cruise missile corridors, and within one mile of Eglin’s land boundary in northern Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties. Four municipalities are also within this area. The figure below illustrates the extent of the area involved in this study. Because of the tedious process involved in adopting land use regulations in Florida, implementation of many other original JLUS recommendations were deferred until completion of the Small Area Studies and receipt of all recommendations from that study. The consultant for the Small Area Study provided their Final Report to complete the study in October 2012. The Final Report included an additional 32 recommendations for implementation by the seven participating jurisdictions. 1 1/3/13 The association of the involved jurisdictions in the JLUS led to the formation of the Northwest Florida Military Sustainability Partnership. The Partnership’s mission is to ensure the viability of existing and future potential missions at Eglin Air Force Base, Eglin Reservation, and Hurlburt Field through robust, cooperative communications and planning; and implementation of those plans. Oversight of the Small Area Study was the initial focus of the Partnership. Of particular note, the State of Florida is home to twenty major military installations, many of them near large metropolitan areas. The Northwest Florida Military Sustainability Partnership is unique in Florida in terms of the extent and inclusiveness of the membership and in the formal legal structure of the organization using Interlocal Agreements between local governments as provided in Florida statutes. Eleven of the 15 JLUS jurisdictions, including Eglin AFB itself, formally joined the Partnership through an Interlocal Agreement or Memorandum of Agreement as charter members. The Okaloosa County Economic Development Council, a 501(c)(6) organization, subsequently joined. The remaining jurisdictions and other appropriate organizations are considering membership now that the Small Area Studies has concluded. The jurisdictions that have not yet formally joined have been kept apprised of mission support activities, and are included in all communications pertaining to the group’s operation. The Partnership has an Executive Committee comprised of an appointed representative from each member jurisdiction, generally an elected official; and an expansive supporting Military Growth Advisory Group comprised of technical planning and engineering staff from each jurisdiction. This loosely followed the original JLUS organization methodology of a Policy Committee and Technical Advisory Group. A Military Sustainability Partnership Coordinator on the Okaloosa County staff, funded through the OEA grant, led the activities of both the Executive Committee and Advisory Group to the completion of the Small Area Studies. Building upon that experience, a full-time staff person dedicated to coordination of the full spectrum of the JLUS recommendations is essential to the success of attaining maximum implementation of those recommendations. The complexity and diversity of the jurisdictions involved, and the lack of planning expertise in some of the jurisdictions makes having a person dedicated to the task of JLUS and Small Area Studies implementation crucial to the effective functioning of the Partnership and support of the military missions in the area. 2. Objectives and Need for OEA Assistance. The main objective is to retain the services of the Military Sustainability Partnership Coordinator for a one-year period beginning March 1, 2013 through February 28, 2014. We are requesting OEA assistance since this Coordinator will work with the entire Partnership toward the goal of implementing JLUS recommendations to support the accomplishment of Department of Defense military missions on the Eglin AFB Reservation and across the region. In view of the size of the installation (the largest in the nation) and diversity of missions impacting the surrounding area, as well as the complexity of coordinating the efforts of the surrounding communities, this approach is considered reasonable and most cost-effective to 2 1/3/13 ensure consistent and effective implementation of study recommendations to benefit the military installation and its missions. The Coordinator funded by OEA in the course of the Small Area Studies will continue to be employed on a contractual basis by Okaloosa County as the lead agency on behalf of the Northwest Florida Military Sustainability Partnership. 3. Results or Benefits Expected. The results and benefits are implementation of study recommendations supporting mission compatibility with all known Eglin Reservation activities affecting the surrounding areas to include: a. Compatible Land Use: The paramount concern is ensuring the continued viability of the mission activities on the Eglin Reservation, including Eglin Main, Hurlburt Field, Duke Field, and the outlying fields and landing zones as they relate to the need for the corridors identified in the MIPA I, II, and III designated areas by fostering compatible development in those areas. These missions include proper preparation of both JSF student aviators, 7SFG and AFSOC forces for their respective special operations missions as well as the operation of the Eglin weapons testing and evaluation missions. Local governments have a statutory responsibility under Florida law to maintain compatibility with local military installations and their missions. They have an equal responsibility under the same statute to respect private property rights and not be unduly restrictive on those rights. This dual challenge came to the fore in the conduct of the Small Area Studies public input effort. The populace of this area is fiercely patriotic and generally supportive of the military; but they are equally committed to private property rights and constitutional freedoms. Owners of large landholdings in an area west of Crestview in Okaloosa County with the resources to sway public opinion were able to rouse sufficient pushback to preliminary recommendations to preclude inclusion of density restriction recommendations for a portion of the study area in the Final Report. In the final analysis, relying upon the Eglin Base Commander’s input on a case-by-case basis for development approval in this area may prove to be more effective for mission compatibility since the property in question is largely agricultural and surrounded by publicly owned property. However, the controversy that ensued highlights the need for continuing advocacy and public outreach to realize implementation goals -- which can best be achieved by having a full-time person dedicated to the task. b. Ensuring the public’s health, safety, and welfare through understanding and mitigation of issues such as noise and aircraft accident potential inherent in the proximity of military training and operations to civilian uses of land surrounding those operations. 3 1/3/13 4. Approach. The Military Sustainability Partnership, assisted by the Coordinator, will continue to ensure that the Partnership operates in an open and transparent manner, in full compliance with Florida’s Sunshine Law. All affected jurisdictions have been and will continue to be fully involved. The goal is to achieve maximum community buy-in before proposed land use changes go to final print, and to attain maximum implementation of the recommendations provided in the Eglin JLUS of 2009 and the accompanying Small Area Studies of 2012. The Military Sustainability Partnership Coordinator will be responsible for overall coordination of implementation efforts, and for working with the affected jurisdictions to ensure proposed land use changes and mission-supporting regulations are incorporated into local Comprehensive Plans and land development ordinances. This will be achieved primarily through ongoing individual personal contact with appropriate leadership and planning staff in each jurisdiction, as well as key stakeholders in the private sector, on a regular recurring basis for advocacy, technical assistance where needed, and monitoring of implementation efforts. Milestones will be four quarterly meetings of the Military Growth Advisory Group and the Military Sustainability Partnership Executive Committee facilitated by the Coordinator to report on progress toward implementation, status of efforts, and discussion regarding implementation difficulties that may be common to the membership and emergent issues that pertain to military compatibility for the area or individual jurisdictions. The Coordinator will continue to maintain records and documentation of implementation efforts of each jurisdiction; share successful efforts and strategies with the Partnership membership; advocate for mission compatibility and enhancement in the communities at large; represent the Partnership to the Florida Defense Alliance and the Association of Defense Communities; and provide timely reports or updated information to the OEA Project Manager as required or requested. 5. Timeline. This effort is estimated to take twelve months for a total grant period of twelve months that ends on February 28, 2014. This will be the culminating effort to wrap up the various mission compatibility and enhancement studies and effect the implementation of all recommendations arising from BRAC 2005 for Eglin AFB and its surrounding local communities. All presentations to the Military Sustainability Partnership will be open to the public and subject to public comment as required by Florida Sunshine Statutes. 4