COLUMN: Walton's reckless actions put all taxpayers at risk

I am concerned that the bigger issues relating to the Jolly Bay story, which was online at waltonsun.com, are not being reported. Walton County’s reckless actions have deprived property owners of their property rights, stifled economic development in the area and put the taxpayers at substantial risk of having to pay large damage awards.

In these trying times, we need more from our County Commissioners other than making up rules that have not been adopted in order to appease special interests. Not only do these actions by our county expose taxpayers to large multi-million dollar damage awards that are not covered by the county’s insurance, but they also deprive the citizens of an opportunity for more jobs, an upscale project, and an increased tax base that benefits all (not just the people in power and their special interests).

The Jolly Bay project is a mixed-use project clustered on 17 acres of a 60-acre tract that includes an upscale recreational vehicle park, bed and breakfast, and 73 units, in a 12-story condominium, a 49-slip boat docking facility and commercial space for the neighboring community.  The condominium was designed in a location that made it not visible from neighboring homes or drivers passing by on Jolly Bay Road.

There are also other results of the county’s actions — besides our lawsuit for violation of our constitutional rights that Judge Laporte recently allowed to move forward.

After being educated as to the real facts of how the county handled our Jolly Bay project, who in their right mind is going to invest money to TRY to get a project approved in Walton County — a county where the commission makes up rules at the eleventh hour to kill a project that has been in the works for many years and unanimously approved by the technical review committee and the Walton County planning commission?

We worked closely with the county planning department staff over a two year period prior to submitting a project that met all of the Walton County rules.

We were continually assured by county staff, as we kept spending substantial amounts of our hard-earned money, that the project that we submitted met all of the rules.

Some people may justify the county violating our property rights because they are opposed to our project, but the bigger issue is that the county will continue to violate the property rights of its citizens at their will, until Walton County’s citizens require the county to follow the rules.   

Our case is not the first time that the county made up rules to deny a project.  The county was previously told by the circuit court in 2001 that it could not base denial of projects on its own made-up, un-adopted rules since property owners have rights and must have notice of the rules they must comply with to improve their property.

As the economy comes back, there will be a lot of competition for limited development monies. It is not too late for the county to do the right thing and reverse course so as to attract investment in Walton County.

It is not too late for the taxpayers and property owners to demand that the interests of all be represented and that property rights that make this country so great be respected by our own elected officials.

Carl Post has lived in Walton County for 17 years. Carl is the owner of Jolly Bay LLC, which is in litigation with the county.