CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A developer is trying to turn an old Girl Scout camp near Black Creek into a residential neighborhood.
Residents want the land to remain preserved as a campsite and natural wetland. Some are worried construction may also disturb the environment and local resources.
Homes in the area of the north fork of Black Creek have experienced flooding in the past. Many homes were flooded during Hurricane Irma and some flooded during Hurricane Matthew.
“The last time Black Creek flooded, the area where you’re standing [on Lazy Acres Road], the water would almost be to your shoulders right now,” resident Bravell Dodd said.
Dodd lives on Sunrise Farms Road which is less than a mile from the North Fork campsite.
“We are definitely not happy," Dodd said. "It’ll destroy our way of life."
A developer wants to build a neighborhood called the North Fork Subdivision, which will include dozens of homes and a retention pond. A Clay County spokesperson says developer North Fork Land Holdings LLC bought the 243-acre Girl Scout property last year.
The county says in August 2019, the developer applied to build a borrow pit but it was denied by the Planning Commission and the developer withdrew the request before the Board could vote on it.
The county says EZ base was used on roads on the property. EZ base, a coal ash derivative material that JEA marketed was used for building roads.
Residents in Northeast Florida have claimed EZ base has caused severe health issues, according to previous First Coast News stories.
“It does have some issues with EZ Base and other concerns, as a commission, we notified the St. Johns Water Management District we have concerns about it,” Clay County Commissioner Gavin Rollins said.
Rollins says the developer initially wanted to dig the borrow pit and sell the dirt retrieved to FDOT for the First Coast Expressway.
“It’s not currently in our hands purely, and I’m speaking as an individual commissioner… I’d like to see them put at least part of it in conservation so it can be a camp and conservation land,” Rollins hopes.
Rollins says residents have expressed concern about construction crews entering and leaving the property if permits are approved.
First Coast News spoke with the landowner and he did not wish to comment.
Dodd would like to see the land left alone.
“If you infect my well and my kids get sick, I don’t care how much money you give me, it won’t make my kids whole again,” Dodd said.
A potential pond could also be another problem.
“If you dig a big hole and put water in it, where’s it going to go when it rains again?" Dodd asked. "If there’s one thing people know about Black Creek is it’s going to flood."
The St. Johns River Water Management District says they are currently reviewing the permit application. According to the district’s website, numerous residents have written letters of objection.
No final decision on the property has been made yet.