Santa Rosa hears report on protecting local military interests

MILTON — Santa Rosa County has been very proactive in protecting the local military missions, according to the latest draft of the Eglin Air Force Base Joint Land Use Study.

However, additional suggestions on how the county can help protect the region from future military downsizings are coming.

County commissioners recently were presented an update on the development of the draft version of the Joint Land Use Study. The study is designed to help communities meet the challenges of a future BRAC initiative by preventing encroachment of military bases or missions.

“It’s a privilege to say that this community has been very proactive and you’re way ahead of all the other jurisdictions at this point, as far as what we’re going forward with here,” said Celeste Warner with Matrix Design Group, the project manager for the JLUS.

The study, which includes parts of Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties, eventually will recommend additional land use and height restrictions in areas near Eglin’s reservation.

The JLUS still is in a draft form. Eventually, the draft will be released to the public so residents can comment and suggest possible changes before the study is finalized and sent to a military sustainability executive committee for adoption.

County Commissioner Don Salter said the board approved most of the recommendations that came out of the Okaloosa County Joint Land Use Study several years ago. He said he was interested to see what else Santa Rosa needs to do beyond those initial JLUS recommendations.

“It’s all about protecting the mission of the base, whether it’s at Eglin, Hurlburt, Whiting, Pensacola NAS,” Salter said. “No matter where it is, it’s about protecting that mission. Encroachment is the No. 1 leading cause of closures of military bases in the country.

“It’s going to be critical going through another BRAC-like process (that) we can justify as a community and a local government that we have done everything we can to protect the mission of the military bases,” he added.