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Neighbors oppose Tom King Bayou retention pond; county says project tied to long‑running basin study
Summary
Residents near Holly By The Sea raised concerns that a proposed 16‑acre retention pond tied to the Tom King Bayou Channel restoration will reduce privacy, create mosquitoes and lower property values; staff said the project began design in 2018, stems from a 2016 basin study and aims to mitigate erosion and flooding.
A Tom King Bayou Channel restoration project drew pointed public comment at the Santa Rosa County commission meeting, where a nearby homeowner said the plan to add a 16‑acre retention pond would destroy privacy and habitat and depress property values.
Perry Tallman, who said his neighborhood learned about the project only recently, told the board the retention pond borders his property and would eliminate a five‑acre wetlands preserve behind his lot. “When we moved here... the attractiveness of the property that we bought was that we had a 5 acre wetlands preserve behind us and for privacy... If this retention pond goes in, it borders the back end of my property. I’m going to lose all that privacy and security,” Tallman said, adding that neighboring homeowners had chosen lots that did not border ponds to avoid mosquitoes.
Operations staff replied that the Tom King Bayou work began with planning and design in 2018 and was included in the Holly By The Sea Basin study completed in 2016. Staff said the project is intended to slow and mitigate stormwater flows, reduce ongoing channel erosion that currently harms adjacent properties and improve basin discharge to reduce flooding. A county commissioner noted that holding ponds are treated for mosquitoes and said the pond will not necessarily increase mosquito problems more than existing wetlands.
What’s next: The county moved the item to the Thursday consent agenda; staff and the commission indicated the project has been under study for years and requires design and permitting steps before construction.
