Residents press Port St. Joe commissioners on sand piles, airport plans and a $100,000 Field Of Dreams challenge

Several residents used the public-comment period at the May 5 meeting to press the commission for faster follow-up on local problems and to push for city funding for community projects.

Terry O'Neil, who introduced himself as a Saint Joe Beach resident, urged the commission to act on the so-called Field Of Dreams project and publicly challenged the panel to "make a motion to immediately start working on Field Of Dreams" and to "donate $100,000 to get this project started." His remarks also referenced prior discussions about library funding and a county letter he said had not received a response.

Charles Galvin, who identified his address as 118 Liberty Street, said sand and dirt piles near a construction site were blowing into a nearby restaurant and affecting customers; he asked staff to pursue moving the piles or finding mitigation to avoid losing business. Staff said they had contacted the owner, placed temporary fencing, and are working on a longer-term fix with the contractor and property owner.

Another commenter raised concerns about county funding requests for a proposed airport and repeated calls for transparency on road and property acquisitions tied to a separate sports complex and the Field Of Dreams discussion.

Commissioners acknowledged the concerns, directed staff to send a letter to property owners about the dirt piles and return with potential mitigation options, and agreed to put traffic and crosswalk safety around the softball fields on a future agenda. Staff noted they are following up on the sand pile complaints and working within constraints where property lines and contamination limit options for moving material.

The meeting did not produce immediate funding commitments for Field Of Dreams; commissioners said they would discuss related budget or intergovernmental steps at future meetings.