On Monday (March 16), the Flagler County Commission will consider and likely vote on a proposed land use amendment south of the Brunswick Corp. Sea Ray manufacturing plant between Roberts Road and Lambert Avenue. The proposal is backed by the county’s economic development department and economic opportunity advisory council, and by the county’s chamber of commerce. It is opposed by Flagler Beach, whose city commission passed and conveyed a resolution to that effect to the county commission. It has also been unanimously opposed by the Flagler County Planning and Zoning Board, suggesting that county officials’ claims that the opposition is made up merely of a “vocal minority” is somewhat off the mark.
Below, Don Deal and Roseanne Stocker, both Lambert Avenue residents, explain their opposition. The documentation to their claims is in hyperlinks in the body of the article. Sea Ray has also been invited to present its own perspective, and Operations Manager Craig Wall does so here. The county’s background material on the matter can be accessed here. The Observer’s Jonathan Simmons reported on the proposal at length in mid-February, in a report available here.
By Don Deal and Roseanne Stocker
We are not anti-Sea Ray. Everyone knows we need jobs in this county and that Sea Ray is one of Flagler County’s largest employers. Sea Ray makes high quality boats and its employees are very good at what they do.
However, we have issues with what Sea Ray is proposing.
On Monday, the Flagler County Commission will hear a request from Sea Ray boats to approve a Future Land Use Map amendment to change two parcels of land from low density Single Family and Conservation to High Intensity Commercial. Sea Ray intends to use the parcels for a parking lot, a boat staging area and a future office building. The Flagler Beach City Commission passed a resolution urging the county to deny the request citing concerns about property values, quality of life and economic development of business who depend on clean air in Flagler Beach to thrive.
Although the County Planning and Zoning Board also voted unanimously to recommend denial of the request, the county’s planning administration has written a report recommending approval of the plan. County Economic Development Director Helga Van Eckert and chamber of commerce staff have been making the rounds to encourage support for Sea Ray’s request. Citizens who worry about Hazardous Air Pollutants are left to wonder how business leaders can simply look the other way when it comes to emissions.
Sea Ray has no add-on pollution control devices, although the technology exists to capture the Volatile Organic Compounds and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) that Sea Ray emits. Two years ago Sea Ray secured a permit through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection that grants it permission to nearly double allowable emissions of volatile organic compounds, from 249 tons to 489 tons in any consecutive 12-month period. Sea Ray insists that its parking expansion plan does not mean that it will be increasing emissions, and strictly speaking, that’s correct: the parking is not the issue. The permit’s future potential for doubling emissions is. And that permit’s allowances is indisputable.
The majority of the Volatile Organic Compounds we breathe in from Sea Ray’s emissions are HAPs, the majority of which is Styrene. Styrene is “Reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen” under the guidelines of the National Toxicology Program, an inter-agency group coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Currently, Sea Ray blows these pollutants into the air and relies on dilution as their answer to air pollution control. If you emit a small amount of air pollution, surrounding residents and beach goers may occasionally smell Styrene, depending on wind direction. However, Sea Ray’s new permit allows them to emit up to 978,000 lbs. of VOC’s in a year’s time. That equates to over 600,000 lbs. of Hazardous Air Pollutants. Put another way, while Flagler Beach has about 1/17th the population of Palm Coast, it accounts for approximately 100 times the Toxic Release Inventory of Hazardous Air Pollutants. If Sea Ray were to max out its 2013 permit, Flagler Beach may possibly have over 500 times the Toxic Release Inventory of Hazardous Air Pollutants as Palm Coast.
Everyone in every corner of Flagler Beach and the neighborhoods near Sea Ray Boats should be aware, if not concerned.
We don’t dispute that Sea Ray has a fine record of abiding by regulations and avoiding environmental violations. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of transparency. None of what we are saying is a mystery. But little of it is ever discussed or examined beyond obscure government reports. Judging from the reaction to our attempts to bring these matters to broader light, including the criticism we got from the Economic Development Council and Sea Ray’s dismissive attitude, you’d think transparency were incompatible with economic development and quality of life. We don’t think it is.
Many Flagler Beach restaurants have recently built or expanded outside decks. Our beach and tourism is the county’s economic engine. Our tourism sector must not be jeopardized by one industry, especially when technology is available for this world-class boat builder to employ to capture its Hazardous Air Pollutant emissions.
Beyond transparency, there is the matter of proper land use. Flagler County staff has taken an underhanded approach to try to spread a very large, heavy industry over two zoning districts, one of which is currently zoned residential as reflected on the Future Land Use Map. “Upzoning” two parcels from residential to high intensity commercial not only has negative implications for abutting property values and quality of life, but will help pave the way for Sea Ray’s expansion, should the company want to exercise that option down the line. As commercial uses move off the industrial parcels to the now-residential parcels, Sea Ray will free up space for more industrial production on their industrial site and have more potential to max out the new permit. Sea Ray says it has no intention of doing that. But that’s not what their permit says.
Audio: A Panel Discussion on the Proposal on WNZF’s Free For All Friday (March 13)[media id=398 width=250 height=200]
iPhone and Android users, click here.
Greater industry is welcome. More jobs are welcome. But with greater industry should come greater responsibility to the environment. Sea Ray has its permit for more pollution emissions. It should be compelled to have more pollution controls. The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners should deny Sea Ray’s request or compel the company to install technology to capture and destroy its Hazardous Air Pollutants.
We lay out below a few more facts we consider relevant to Monday’s application before the county commission, from a historical and land-use perspective—facts that have been largely obscured by one—sided rhetoric , especially from county officials responsible for presenting a more even-handed analysis to commissioners ahead of decision-making.
1. Almost 10 years ago, the Flagler County Commission changed the east side of Roberts Road from Industrial to Low Density Residential on the Future Land Use Map. As a result, this property was then rezoned Residential. County staff presented many positive reasons for this change and it was approved unanimously by the county commission.
2. Since the rezoning to residential took place, on middle to north Lambert Ave. alone 31 homes have been purchased or built by owners who did their due diligence. They bought on Lambert Ave relying on the residential zoning abutting Sea Ray to protect their investment. Some of these homes abut the parcels now in question that Sea Ray wants to have rezoned to high intensity commercial.
3. Two years ago, as Sea Ray was receiving the DEP permit that enables the company to increase emissions up to almost a million pounds of Volatile Organic Compounds in a year’s time, Flagler County, on behalf of the property owner of the same parcels now in question, requested a FLUM and zoning change to Industrial from Low Density Residential. This request was turned down unanimously by the Flagler County Planning and Development Board on both requests. The board cited comprehensive plan and compatibility issues. The issue died.
4. Management has now now decided that since the request two years ago failed, they’ll come back and try for a “High Intensity Commercial” FLUM change and rezone to High Intensity Commercial C-2 Shopping Center district. The Land Development Regulations state this zoning district should be located near major arterial roads and gives examples of I-95 and 100, Palm Coast Parkway and 100 and U.S.1 and State Road 100, and four to six-lane, major arterial roads. Roberts Road, a two-lane road, is not close to any of these major arterial roads in either traffic count or visibility. There were a number of other Comprehensive Plan inconsistencies members of the public, Flagler Beach city planner Larry Torino and the Flagler County Planning and Development Board identified during the hearing process before the advisory planning board. As a result, the Flagler County Planning and Development Board turned down the request for a FLUM amendment change 7 to 0. Two of those members are certified Planners.
5. The proposed parking lot at Sea Ray will have a designated area for very large 18 wheel boat transport tractor trailers. This will be accessible 24-hours a day. Imagine land abutting your back yard that used to be residential being changed to a Walmart style parking lot on steroids. How many residential homes do you see backing up to the Walmart in Palm Coast? None-because in proper planning and zoning, these uses are incompatible.
6. County Manager Craig Coffee was cited as saying, in an Observer article this week, that Sea Ray is surrounded by Industrial lots. This is simply not true. Sea Ray to the south abuts a conservation area and then residential zoning: No industrial. Sea Ray to the east abuts residential homes: No industrial. Sea Ray to the west abuts a mixed use of Commercial and Residential zoning: No Industrial. Sea Ray to the South West on the opposite side of Roberts Road abuts a large parcel of mixed use of Commercial and Residential. There is a small parcel of Industrial currently there and another small sliver that abuts Colbert and Roberts, a very significant distance from Sea Ray.
7. Economic Development Director Helga Van Eckert stated earlier this month that Sea Ray will be more environmentally friendly if permitted to expand onto the residential parcels because they will have a retention area for their new parking lot. She also mentioned Sea Ray has a track record of being good neighbors and environmental stewards. There is simply no mention by Van Eckert of Sea Ray’s current Volatile Organic Compound or Hazardous Air Pollutant releases nor of their expansion increase that has been permitted by the DEP. Does a retention pond really make up for making room for expansion of a Title V Major source of Air Pollution?
Don Deal is a Lambert Avenue resident and resident of Flagler Beach for 32 years. he served on the Flagler Beach Planning and Architectural review board for 20 years, 15 as chairman. He also served on the Flagler County Long Range Planning Board for several years. He lives on the east side of Lambert Avenue. His property does not abut the parcels in question. Roseanne Stocker has served on the Flagler Beach Planning and Architectural Review Board for 20 years. She currently serves at vice chair. She was honored by Flagler County Business and Professional Women as Woman of the Year in 2008 for her involvement in numerous community projects and boards. She was also Rotarian of the year in 2006 and 2012.
Schottey says
I oppose residents of a rather small area of town who moved there knowing full well an existing plant was pretending they are doing anything other than looking for their own self-interests under the guise of anything resembling “good for the town” or “good for the county.”
Sea Ray has never been a negligent polluter, nor have they ever been a bad neighbor.
These rich, well-connected, selfish homeowners simply oppose progress. 99.9% of Flagler County would be better off if they were the ones who moved and let Sea Ray expand right into their old lots.
Wayne Perry says
What he said.
Sherry Epley says
If Sea Ray is the good neighbor they claim to be, the MINIMUM they should be doing is investing in the technology that helps control their toxic emissions into the air that we all breathe! “Dissipating” toxins into the air that keeps us all alive, is irresponsible and not the actions of a good neighbor.
Jobs on the one hand do not outweigh the requirement for environmental protections. This isn’t just about those with homes immediately adjacent . . . it’s about maintaining the CLEAN AIR in the entire region . . . and on the planet for that matter.
Sea Ray. . . you have the perfect opportunity to do the right thing. . . and to show us how you are going to expand your business while protecting the beautiful, healthy environment we all love so much about Flagler. . . spend the $ to protect the planet, and to grow your business in a responsible, healthy way.
JimBob says
I bet you that jobs will trump the environment.
Lin says
If, in fact it was 2 years ago that Sea Ray was granted a permit to increase emissions, this is well AFTER a lot of us bought our homes. This is an eye-opening article to me.
I’m all for more and better jobs, but not at the expense of our health. To say it will protect the environment is too vague a concept for a lot of people to worry about. I, personally, would like to breathe clean air and I want that for all our children.
I’d say no to any expansion that would increase hazards
Bruce Camburn says
A little off the subject but — Smith Creek? Have lived here for 39 years and always thought it was the
intercoastal — amazing!!
Kyle says
Schottey, you are spot on! Flagler County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the State. Sea Ray closed other plants around the country and has expanded the Flagler facility. This gives people a place to work with steady employment. Also the plant was there long before most of the residents.
Toxic Rays says
Central Nervous System
Styrene can cause mild and reversible nervous system effects if workplace exposures are not controlled.
At exposures in excess of 50 ppm (8-hour time-weighted average), styrene may cause temporary nervous system effects such as drowsiness and delayed reaction time.
Ototoxicity
Studies have been conducted in workers and in laboratory animals to investigate the potential for styrene exposure to have an adverse effect on hearing. In studies conducted before 2009, limited evidence was found for styrene-induced hearing loss in workers due to co-exposure to noise and other solvents. In Triebig et al. (2009), [1] no hearing deficits were found in workers exposed to styrene for ten years to 12.5 ppm and 50 ppm. However there was an indication for styrene-induced hearing losses in workers exposed to styrene concentration of 25-33 ppm from fifteen to twenty-six years. Higher exposures of 80-100 ppm, which existed for over ten years before this study was initiated, may have contributed to the noted hearing loss.
Color Vision
A 1997 literature review investigated reports of color vision deficiencies associated with occupational exposure to styrene (Sheedy, The SIRC Review, 1997). [2] The author noted that although some of the studies were inconclusive, evidence of slight decreases in color perception was noted. However, in all studies where slight changes were detected, the effects were reversible, and individuals concerned were not aware of any deficit, nor was there an indication that performance was affected in jobs requiring good color discrimination. The effect was associated with higher styrene concentrations, and styrene-induced color vision deficiencies improved when exposure was decreased. Similar differences in color perception are normally found in the general population in individuals between the ages of 35 and 65. These results were confirmed by Seeber et al. (2009), [3] who did not find color deficiencies at exposures up to 50-100 ppm.
Toxic Rays says
Chronic exposure to styrene in humans results in effects on the CNS, with symptoms such as headache, fatigue, weakness, depression, CNS dysfunction (reaction time, memory, visuomotor speed and accuracy, intellectual function), and hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, minor effects on some kidney enzyme functions and on the blood.
SW says
Well stated ! and only a microcosm of what happens in our County as a whole. Spin this any way you want but, if not approved, further solidifies the Hypocrisy of Flagler County Commissioners and their stated objectives and priorities versus the reality of their actions. Let Sea Ray build the darn lot.
SW says
That isn’t even a good tree hugger argument. Then stop the traffic on AIA altogether. Rich Boy BS
SW says
You get more fumes walking on the Street in the morning with traffic LOL You people kill me LMAO
SW says
10-4 Kyle It only makes sense for the entire County Economic Welfare, not a few disgruntled residents.
HonkeyDude says
Dear god please let there be more jobs here in this county.
Now sea ray plant trees to clean your air. And Lambert Ave can SUCK IT!
Or should sea ray see how much China can build a boat for them like everyone and everything else.
Bubble people i dont get. Hopefully these people complaining bought ticket to mars. Probably the same people trying to pass laws about smoking in a car with kids.
John Woodward says
Mr Deal and Ms. Stocker,
Sea Ray has always been a rather good neighbor to you and your fellow residents on Lambert Ave. Every complaint filed against them has been met with a quick and courteous response, the proper testing to be sure they were well within legal limits, ie. noise pollution, air pollution, etc., and, in most cases, some action to reduce the causality of the complaint.
You stated that Flagler county’s tourism industry is the economic engine that our county depends on. As someone who was raised in a tourism hotspot on Florida’s east coast ( Cocoa Beach) you are apparently unaware of the absolutely appalling nature of a tourism fueled economy. The restaurants on Flagler beach cater a lot more to locals than to Daytona beach spillover. The fact that you have a beach you can go to and find an area to spread your blanket, set up your umbrella, and enjoy the beach is exactly the reason you should be thankful that our economy is not tourism based. The fact that you can see the ocean without giant timeshare condos spoiling the view is why you would rather not have a tourism based economy. Be careful what you wish for because those things do happen to nice little communities like Flagler beach when they cannot rely upon local industry to fund their budgets. Without the revenue the more than 700 employees and their families generate by being employed by one of the best paying companies in the county you will have to begin to rely on that tourism dollar and slowly but surely you’ll lose that quaint seaside community you love.
Now to address your claim that just because Sea Ray can increase it’s emissions it will; is rather like saying because a car can blow up we should treat it as a bomb. The truth of the matter is that, using the EPA website you included a link to, I found that the emissions of methyl methacrylate and styrene have both steadily decreased both in on-site releases and off-site releases. You are simply using scare tactics to move the weak willed or weak minded over to your narrow way of thinking. You, just like a politician are relying on the fact that people will just take your word for it. Shame on you Mr Deal and Ms. Stoker for trying to dupe the public simply because you don’t want something. The addition of a simple parking lot is not an increase in production. The truth of the matter is that Sea Ray is producing bigger and better yachts and as a result needs more employees to do that efficiently and safely. Those employees need someplace to park. It’s not some grand scheme to fool you and the Sea Ray management team isn’t sitting behind closed doors rubbing their hands together maniacally. They just want a place for people to park.
Layla says
I support your statement 100%. We need the JOBS.
all4searay says
Jesus ppl calm down stop getting your tree hugging selves all worked up. They want to make a bigger parking lot not store nuclear waste.
Here it comes says
When I owned a house on lambert I used to wash the fiberglass dust off my car almost daily….I sold the house immediately when I realized what it did to my lungs and to my kids lungs….fiberglass on my car=Fiberglass in my lungs….it’s really not rocket science my friends. Those of you who live on Riverwalk and Lambert….when you and your love ones develop lung cancer don’t wonder where it comes from…..I already used common sense and figured it out. Just saying,
downinthelab says
Now that I live here I don’t like: the boat factory, the bar across the canal , those planes in the air, the tourists on the beach, the people driving on 95, the possibility of hurricanes, the fact that I have to pay insurance for the hurricanes, the local government, the bbq restaurants, the golf carts on the roads, the wild pigs, the constant birth of school-aged children, the red light cameras, those people and their CCW permits, Flagler Live, PC Observer, especially the Record, those people from Ontario that followed me down, its too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, oh and those pesky bikers twice a year, and…
ryan says
more of the palm coast/ flagler county “not welcome here” attitude. thanks for keeping unemployment high people. whether it be a gas station or a shopping center there seems to be a problem with business expansion all the time.
m&m says
These whiners against Sea Ray are like the people who buy next to an airport and complain about the the planes and noises or who buy on a golf coures and complain about the mowers and noise. These places of businesses have been there long before you whiners moved here.
Derrick R. says
It’s Intracoastal , Not Intercoastal.
So SeaRay should reapply for even a bigger piece of the pie citing that the increase will also be for a new facility that will make it EPA compliant and reduce it’s harmful emissions.
shoregal says
These complaints are so off base. I have been to the open area bar/restaurants on the beach and have never smelled any of the toxic fumes claimed here. I go to the beach a lot, again never smell anything other than the nice salt air or smell of fried foods coming from the restaurants.
This piece of land was once zoned commercial anyway so what is the difference with going back and the County Commissioners placing stipulations to limit Sea Ray to just a parking lot, office space(if needed) and staging area, how does it harm tourism and the residents. Funny, how one of the opposition to Sea Ray actually had a house on Lambert, sold it and built one down the road on Lambert CLOSER to the plant….guess that didn’t affect their quality of life too much. Quality of life has not been affected in 30 years since Sea Ray has been in the county. If emissions were so bad, the EPA and DEP would be all over them. This is just a PARKING LOT…….
A recent City of Palm Coast survey indicates that people love the quality of life here, but the one thing we lack in is JOBS and Sea Ray is a company that can help solve that issue….
I urge the BOCC to vote YES to a parking lot.
NortonSmitty says
No, LOL Styrene from fiberglas manufacturing will kill you. LMAO.
Sherry Epley says
Ahhhh. . . and the “learned scientists”, (LOL!), with all the “factual” data about the health effects of air borne toxins, comes out of the wood work!
She said sarcastically. . . “ignore the man behind the curtain”. . . “we don’t need no trees or clean air to breathe”. . . “I love the smell of car exhaust in the morning”! My, my, my . . . what a powerful argument from such an educated source.
William L Butler says
Don Deal and Roseanne Stocker. Why did you build your homes so close to this factory? Or why did you buy a home so close to this factory. Did they build the plant before you lived here or are you both native residents of the area? I have a good friend who built a beautiful home on the Island in St. Augustine Beach just one block off A1AB. Then they built a Hilton and he looks at dumpsters every day. Never ever build next to that which you do not wish next to. The house boat builder in Flagler Beach entered the community after the homes there were built. Those residents have legitimate claims, IMO. The concrete plant, when in operation, was a nasty place to be around but people did not build there. Shame on the city to allow residential building so close to industrial areas. But in Real Estate it is “Caveat Emptor”, buyer beware. A lesson learned perhaps? Now then let Sea Ray do its business and allow some of our young families to hold jobs they can actually make money enough to raise a family on, well at least until the next recession/depression anyways!
NortonSmitty says
Hard as it is to beleive, fiberglas is considered to be as non-carcinogenic as the glass it is made from by the EPA. Even when it is inhaled and embeds in your lungs. As such it is not required to have the same reporting requirements as styrene and other chemical carcinogens Even Fibeglas insulation contractors have minimal requirements for worker protection.
It would be interesting if someone who had the time would do a localized study of the cancer rates of the residents downwind of the plant. If there is a difference in cancer or other pulmonary disease rates shown, I do believe Brunswick Corporation may have opened up an unforeseen big-assed can of worms here.
NortonSmitty says
All right, we all love the jobs. And they make a pretty good boat for the price. But as they themselves admit, there are common and proven well tested devices that almost eliminate these disease causing particulates and chemicals the locals living near the plant are subjeced to everyday. So why don’t they install them? We know why, it would cost them money. Probably somewhere close to what they are spending to expand the damn parking lot.
I mean you would have to be a really hard hearted son of a bitch to allow more of your neighbors to die just to increase the dividends to some New York Hedge Fund stockholder.
My thoughts says
Just a matter of time before “highest and best use” real estate principles take over. Saw it happen elsewhere in Florida – boat manufacturers went out of business and sold to the highest condo developer. Winter up north and returning real estate market make this evolution inevitable. Sorry for those of you who are scared of loosing your jobs.
NortonSmitty says
If it makes so much sense I’ll expect to see you and your kids moving in next door to it. Put your money, health and life where your mouth and politics are.
NortonSmitty says
You’re right about one thing, Sea Ray is producing bigger and better yachts. And us not holding them accountable and making them invest a bit of the profits to reduce their emissions will only benefit Brunswick stock owners. So the stock owners can buy bigger and better yachts. Us peasants can barely afford inflatable boats that have a much shorter shelf-life. Just like us peasants that live near the Sea Ray factory. Which in itself has a beautiful circular kind of logic. In an Ayn Rand sort of way.
Will (#1) says
Just to clarify – some people think, from the comments above, that the Sea Ray property is part of Flagler Beach. To my knowledge it isn’t – for FB passed on the opportunity to annex the property some years ago. A small point perhaps, but very relevant regarding various jurisdictions.
PeachesMcGee says
Obviously, these two naysayers are independently wealthy. Maybe they should provide the unemployment benefits when SeaRay moves.
It will only be a matter of time before SeaRay moves out of Flagler County.
YankeeExPat says
“It will only be a matter of time before SeaRay moves out of Flagler County”……….If the county continues to make production problematic for Sea Ray’s parent company, Brunswick Inc. , look for them to leave in the 3rd quarter of 2016…………don’t ask me to divulge how I know, just remember you were foretold. ……………….September 30, 2016
YankeeExPat says
PS
Watch NYSE: BC : 52.16 in the upcoming months.
Sherry Epley says
Thank you, Norton Smitty, for taking the time to research the subject of the toxins being emitted into the air that gives us life by Sea Ray. Thank you also for attempting to educate many who apparently do not wish to over come their preconceptions and be open minded enough to consider the information you have to offer. This article and your information is very helpful to me.
This issue has somehow has become one of passionately divided camps . . . as a “proud to be” environmentally conscious and responsible person, who is certainly not wealthy, and has completed her 30 years of 50 hour weeks. . . it is my strong belief that good jobs and a healthy environment are not mutually exclusive.
Again, I urge Sea Ray to do the “right thing” for their employees and for our community and do EVERYTHING possible to run their business in a way that BEST protects our environment. . . even above and beyond the minimum requirements of the EPA. People should always come before profits!
Michael says
Why can’t it be as simple as a compromise, Sea Ray wants this, we ask them for better polution controls over the next 3 years and hold them to it, They want a staging are for Boats and tranport vehicles, we say fine but no operations between 9 PM and 6 AM. Have them put a tree line buffer between the area that butts up to the residential area, this is not rocket science people. The problem is all the whiney people, and Government who is not smart enough to make a simple decission.
Bob S. says
I hope Sea Ray PULLS the PLUG and Closes Down so All YOU FLAGER BEACH Residends Taxes go UP by Thirty Percent and INCREASE Every Year.
Michelle says
I did and do! Love Sea Ray!!!!!
Michelle says
The Intracoastal did not exist naturally, it had to be dredged.
take the bus says
How about this? Take a company bus or ride your bike! Leave your car at home.
DanH says
Well said , Michael.this is a no brainer , you want a parking lot , we want clean air. Spend the money to capture your emissions , you can have your parking lot.Really simple
suzie j says
JUST think……..it once was at 2 dollars and change back in 2009.
IT’S JUST A PARKING LOT!!!!!
Anonymous says
nicely said william