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Commission approves 12 Oaks residential expansion with fence requirement after neighbor concerns
Summary
The commission granted conditional-use approval for a 26‑bed expansion and 7,500‑sq‑ft addition at 12 Oaks Recovery, requiring the operator to install a perimeter fence before beds are added and to maintain several operational commitments to neighbors.
The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners approved a conditional‑use request on May 22 to expand 12 Oaks Recovery (Bowling Green Inn of Pensacola / “12 Oaks”) by 26 beds and about 7,500 square feet of therapy and dining space, authorizing the facility to proceed after the applicant agreed to install a fence along the south property line before the new beds come online.
12 Oaks’ leadership and project architects described operational changes made after neighborhood meetings and said the expansion responds to persistently high occupancy and a waiting list for treatment. Neighbors expressed security concerns and asked the county to ensure the facility would limit off‑site movement and reduce noise. The board’s conditional approval requires the fence and formalized commitments from the facility.
Architect David Brown and Heather Joseph, CEO of 12 Oaks, told commissioners the project will add therapy rooms, expand dining/kitchen space and increase residential capacity by 26 patients. Joseph described operational steps taken after meetings in March and April: alarms adjusted to the lowest permissible decibel under applicable regulations, lights-out moved from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., overnight rounding to ensure clients remain in house, prescreening of prospective clients that includes checks against the National Sex Offender Registry, and a commitment that patients are transported to and from the facility rather than allowed to walk off site.
Neighbors, represented at the hearing by Alicia Wallace and others, said they had seen clients in the surrounding neighborhood on multiple occasions and urged concrete protections before the facility expands. Wallace said the fence was raised in neighborhood meetings but requested that it be installed prior to increasing bed count; she said her HOAs had asked for immediate installation and that 12 Oaks’ corporate approval might be required.
A commissioner asked about gates and staffing; Joseph said gates would be key‑locked and staff would supervise client beach visits. Joseph also said the facility would implement shielded lighting and notify neighbors of scheduled activities outside regular hours; 12 Oaks agreed to hold at least quarterly neighborhood meetings and scheduled the next meeting for June.
The board’s motion to approve the conditional use included the condition that the fence be installed before any increase in resident beds. Commissioners recorded no objection and the motion passed without roll‑call opposition.
