Santa Rosa zoning board backs 12 Oaks Recovery expansion with fence condition after neighbors raise safety concerns

The Santa Rosa County Zoning Board recommended approval of a conditional-use request from 12 Oaks Recovery to expand its facility, with board members attaching a condition that a shoreline fence be installed as part of the project.

Neighbors pressed the board Thursday for stronger safety and screening measures while the facility’s leadership described steps already taken to reduce noise and strengthen admissions procedures. The board voted to recommend approval “without objection,” with a requirement that the fence be installed tied to the project recommendation.

At a public hearing, Heather Joseph, CEO of 12 Oaks Recovery, outlined changes the facility adopted since the board last considered the case. Joseph said alarms on campus have been adjusted to the “lowest possible decibel allowed in accordance with regulatory guidelines,” staff are trained and authorized to silence alarms when appropriate, and lights-out was moved from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m. She also said leadership will give residents advance notice of outdoor activities that fall outside regular programming and will conduct overnight rounds to ensure compliance with rules.

On safety and admissions, Joseph said the facility now asks prospective clients a series of legal and background questions, including pending charges, parole or probation status, whether the person is a registered sex offender and upcoming court appearances. She said the facility runs formal checks of the National Sex Offender Registry and that the medical director must approve admissions. “Based upon these responses, we determine whether an individual is appropriate for our program or should be referred elsewhere,” Joseph said.

Riviera Beach HOA president Lisa Wallace, whose neighborhood lies immediately west of the site, said neighbors remain concerned about the possibility that a person could be untruthful at intake and the facility would not discover a felony or other criminal history until later. Wallace asked whether the facility could add formal criminal-background checks to its admissions process. “If the person isn’t truthful, it’s not going to come out until later after the person is already part of the facility,” Wallace said.

Joseph replied that while 12 Oaks does not do formal background checks for every admission, staff review medical histories, public records and other material and may decline admissions based on findings; she said the facility is prepared to administratively discharge clients who break rules or pose a risk and that, if someone does not go peacefully, leadership will call law enforcement. “We are committed to putting the fence up regardless if the project moves forward,” Joseph said, describing the fence as a measure to keep residents from walking unaccompanied onto the beach and to reassure neighbors.

Board members praised the applicant for meeting with neighbors and for the procedural changes. Zoning Board member Alan Isaacson said the meetings “went really well” and that the facility had done what the board had requested in reopening lines of communication. After discussion, a board member moved to recommend approval with the fence installation noted as a condition; the motion passed without objection. Zoning-board approvals are advisory only — final action will be taken by the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners.

The board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners; members and the public were told appeals or additional filings must follow the county’s standard timelines. Neighbors were also told staff will continue to schedule community meetings; Joseph said 12 Oaks planned another community meeting in June and left a compliance phone number at the facility’s admissions building for neighbors to call if they needed immediate help.

With the fence condition added, the board recommended the conditional use; the item will be scheduled for the Board of County Commissioners for final action.