Christina Benjamin urges Wayne County to verify studies behind Pepper Hammock solar proposal

Christina Benjamin, introduced by the chair as representing the Pepper Hammock Project, told the Wayne County Board of Commissioners on April 6 that she is concerned the developer’s presentation overstated the status of environmental and technical studies for a proposed solar-and-energy-storage facility.

Benjamin said the company named in the developer slide deck (the transcript alternately spells it “Bridal Knight” and “Bright Knight”) presented a slide listing 14 studies and told the commission “all of these studies have been completed to date with no detrimental findings at all.” Benjamin said her open‑records requests to the county and state showed that several of those studies — including wetland delineations, cultural/historic resource assessments, property‑value analyses and Federal Aviation Administration determinations — were “not been submitted to the county and are not maintained by Wayne County.”

“Is the county concerned about ensuring the accuracy of all of Bright/Bridal Knight’s claims?” Benjamin asked, saying she could not find evidence that the studies had been completed and noting that the developer appears to have “virtually no history” of completed energy projects. She also said one county permit dated August 2024 did not appear in July or August 2024 commission meeting minutes or agendas, and that citizens were disturbed to learn of a large project 18 months after permits were issued.

Benjamin emphasized potential local impacts: she said the project site covers roughly four square miles and raised questions about soil quality, wildlife displacement and whether a data center might later be built at the same location. She cited national estimates that data centers generate relatively few long‑term local jobs, and urged the board to include Wayne County citizens in decisions about projects of this scale before permits and construction proceed.

The chair encouraged citizens to use the county’s work sessions for more detailed technical review; no final action or vote on the project occurred at the meeting. The transcript alternates the developer name’s spelling; county records cited in Benjamin’s statement were described as not containing the listed studies. County staff did not present direct evidence at the meeting refuting or substantiating the specific studies Benjamin referenced.

The commission did not vote on the Pepper Hammock project at the April 6 meeting; Benjamin said she filed open‑records requests and asked the county and state to confirm the studies the developer said were completed.