§ 1.7. Availability of Facilities and Services to Accommodate Existing and Future Land Uses

1.7.1 Transportation System

The Transportation Element (Chapter 2) describes Santa Rosa County's roadway network that includes a limited-access highway, principal and minor arterials, and collector roads. Public transit services in Santa Rosa County are limited to the following: door to door transit services and an express bus route from downtown Pensacola to Pensacola Beach along US98 with several stops in the City of Gulf Breeze. Peter Prince field is the only public airport located within Santa Rosa County and is owned and operated by the County.

Transportation planning is coordinated through the Florida Alabama Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) which is staffed by the West Florida Regional Planning Council. In Santa Rosa County, this includes two urbanized areas, the Pensacola—Alabama Urbanized Area and the Fort Walton Beach—Navarre—Wright, Florida Urbanized Area. Existing and committed transportation improvements are implemented through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a five-year work program that designates funding for improvement projects. The roadway improvements outlined in Chapter 2, and illustrated on Map 2-1 of the Transportation Element Goals, Objectives, and Policies reflect deficiency analysis and projects from the TPO's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Only short-term and long-term capital improvements in the first five years will appear in the Capital Improvements Element, the TPO's Transportation Improvement Program and FDOT's Work Program. Only those projects in the first three years of the five-year work program can be used for concurrency purposes.

1.7.2 Sanitary Sewer Facilities

The City of Milton, the City of Gulf Breeze, Pace Water System and Holley-Navarre Water System provide central services to the more urbanized areas of the County. Two governing boards regulate wastewater system boundaries and water system rates in the County: the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners through annual monitoring of capacity and financial solvency. However the construction and operation of these wastewater systems are regulated through the DEP. The County LOS standard is adequate to serve projected development through the planning timeframe. A more detailed discussion of sanitary sewer facilities and services is contained in Chapter 4, Infrastructure Element. Also, please see section 2.9.5.1 below regarding the Annual Utilities Operational Status Report which is included herein by reference.

1.7.3 Solid Waste Facilities

A more detailed discussion of solid waste facilities and services is contained in Chapter 4, Infrastructure Element.

1.7.4 Stormwater Management Facilities

A more detailed discussion of stormwater management facilities and services is contained in Chapter 4, Infrastructure Element.

1.7.5 Potable Water Facilities

The source for potable water in Santa Rosa County is primarily the Sand-and-Gravel Aquifer, with the Floridan Aquifer supplying a small percentage. A more detailed discussion of potable water facilities and services is contained in Chapter 4, Infrastructure Element.

1.7.5.1 Annual Utilities Operational Status Report

Each year, with the cooperation of the utilities, the Santa Rosa County Community Planning and Zoning Division completes the Utility Operational Status Report as required by Santa Rosa County Ordinance No. 2001-03. The purpose of this report is to provide the Board of County Commissioners with an opportunity to annually monitor the capacities of the utility systems operating within the County. According to the Ordinance, each utility is to survey present operations and determine its capacity to meet present needs and projected future needs for a period of not less than ten years. The main intent is to determine whether or not the utilities will be able to adequately serve the needs of future growth. It should be noted that capacity is also monitored and permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Northwest Florida Water Management District.

This report contains a current capacity analysis through the year 2025 as well as an analysis of the development potential allocated on the Santa Rosa County Future Land Use Map (unincorporated areas) at full build-out. Utilities partially serving incorporated areas were omitted from that analysis since incorporated areas are not subject to the County's Future Land Use Map. However, percentage connected calculations include incorporated areas. Information is also included regarding percentage of development within each respective service area that is currently being served by a particular utility. In other words, what percentage of service population is the utility currently serving and how much development potential exists in the utilities service area as allowed for on the current Future Land Use Map (unincorporated areas). The data and analysis contained in that report is hereby included by reference each year.

1.7.5.2 Water Supplies Facilities Work Plan

The Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) has designated a portion of Santa Rosa County south of the Pensacola and East Bays and the East River as a Water Resource Caution Area (WRCA). In order to aid in the development of alternative water supplies, a Regional Water Supply Plan (RWSP) that includes Santa Rosa County was developed initially in 2001 and was subsequently updated in 2006 and 2012.

Section 163,3164(c)3, F.S. requires that within 18 months of the approval of an updated RWSP, the County Comprehensive Plan must incorporate the alternative water supply project or projects selected by the local government from those identified within the RWSP. Importantly, the statute calls for the inclusion of alternative water supply projects, conservation and reuse necessary to meet the needs identified within the RWSP. The Comprehensive Plan is to also include a work plan that covers at least 10 years for building public, private, and regional water supply facilities, including the development of alternative water supplies. The Florida Legislature has also established a coordinated planning process between the Regional Water Supply Plan developed by the District pursuant to Chapter 373, Florida Statutes (F.S.), and the Santa Rosa County Comprehensive Plan. Under this process, the County must address in its Comprehensive Plan, the water supply sources necessary to meet and achieve existing and projected water use demand for the established planning period considering the Regional Water Supply Plan (Section 163.3167(9), F.S.). This Work Plan was adopted in 2013 and its related Comprehensive Plan amendments were also adopted during the same year. The data and analysis included within this Plan are hereby included by reference.

1.7.5.3 Well Field Protection

The Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners has adopted an East Milton Well Field Protection Area zoning overlay district designed to protect groundwater from contamination. The protection area covers almost 51 square miles from Persimmon Hollow Road to the Okaloosa County line. Groundwater, contained in underground aquifers, is the source of drinking water in Santa Rosa County. The aquifer in this area supplies water to the East Milton Water System and the Fairpoint Regional Water System, which makes available water to all of the water systems in the south end of the county. Together these water systems provide water to approximately 50 percent of the county population.

The adopted ordinance allows most uses permitted by the underlying zoning district, subject to specific development standards designed to ensure that contaminants are not introduced into the aquifer. This is particularly important in light of the fact that six percent of the area to be protected is industrially-zoned property. It establishes a short list of prohibited uses including solid waste disposal and management facilities, hazardous waste treatment, storage, disposal, and transfer facilities, underground storage facilities, and resource extraction activities, mines, and mining activities. It also details development standards for non-residential development, such as secondary containment and separation of contaminants from stormwater. Each new non-residential development would be required to conform to those standards or receive approval for general exception or special exception. Finally, the ordinance identifies general exceptions, provides a process for special exception requests, specifies how nonconforming uses will be handled, requires that variance requests be heard by the BOCC, and provides for the protection of trade secrets.

1.7.6 Recreation and Open Space Facilities

Publicly owned conservation and recreation lands in Santa Rosa County include lands owned by the federal government, State of Florida, Santa Rosa County, and the municipalities. Santa Rosa County currently provides both activity-based recreational areas and resource-based recreational areas, which are used for activities such as boating, fishing, and hiking and are dependent upon the presence of natural resources. The County has opted not to establish a level of service standard for parks and recreational facilities. A more detailed discussion of recreation and open space facilities and services is contained in Chapter 7, Recreation and Open Space Element.