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Residents warn commissioners a proposed 404-home subdivision could harm gopher tortoise habitat and sturgeon spawning
Summary
A resident said a proposed 404-home development in the Cottage Hill area could disturb habitat for gopher tortoises and gulf sturgeon spawning grounds that drain to the Escambia River; she asked the county to consider species protections and permitting requirements before approving work.
A Cottage Hill resident told the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners on March 6 that a proposed 404-home development on a 97-acre tract could imperil habitat for gopher tortoises and gulf sturgeon if land clearing and construction increase siltation and drainage into the Escambia River.
"The gopher tortoise is definitely on that property," said Georgia Bridal, who identified herself as a homeowner in the Cottage Hill area. Bridal said gopher tortoises are a keystone species whose burrows are used by many other animals and said survey and relocation requirements apply under Florida Fish and Wildlife guidance prior to land clearing.
Bridal also told the board the property contains freshwater creeks and a lake that flow to the Escambia River, which she said gulf sturgeon use for spawning. "If those eggs they do spawn and those eggs get covered with silt and sediment, they will not hatch," she said.
Bridal asked commissioners to consider state requirements and permitting for threatened species and to weigh environmental impacts when evaluating the development. She did not identify a specific developer or provide a permitting status during public comment.
Why it matters: Speakers raised state-guidance considerations for gopher tortoise surveys, relocation and permitted disturbance near burrows, and potential downstream impacts on a state-listed threatened fish. Commissioners did not take formal action during the public forum; the comment was placed on the record for agenda consideration when the item is scheduled.
