- July 2, 2024
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Will the Volusia County School Board take a stand against the proposed Belvedere Terminals fuel farm?
School Board member Carl Persis, who represents District 4, spoke about the fuel terminal during his closing comments of the board's Sept. 12 meeting, saying he'd received many calls from residents asking the school district to voice its opposition to the location of the project, which is about a mile away from the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. Since the community has been made aware of the project, Persis said, there have been "record-breaking attendance crowds" at County Council and Ormond Beach City Commission meetings as citizens voice opposition to the location of the facility.
Belvedere Terminals, a company based out of St. Petersburg, aims to build a 16-storage tank fuel farm at 874 Hull Road, which is expected to see about seven trucks an hour — or over 160 a day.
The Ormond Beach farm is part of Belvedere's plan to build a $250 million multi-site fuel distribution system in the state that "will offer Floridians safer, lower cost and more reliable delivery of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel," according to a statement from the company.
"Belvedere’s system is a unique hub and spur distribution system," the company statement reads. "The hub, based in Mississippi, will load product onto trains which will travel along existing rail lines to multiple spur locations throughout Florida, investing over $250 million in capital with approximately $100 million of that total investment in Florida with over a hundred high paying, skilled jobs during operations."
Belvedere is currently working to develop three fuel spurs in Florida: One in Jacksonville, one in Ormond and one in Fort Pierce. Jacksonville is slated to be the first spur to be developed. Its Mississippi hub has also not been built yet.
The property at 874 Hull Road is under county jurisdiction, being unincorporated land. It is zoned heavy industrial, and has been since Florida East Coast Railroad, which owns the land, pursued land use and zoning amendments in 2006. A site plan would be reviewed by Volusia County.
If Belvedere moves forward with its development, it would need to connect to Ormond Beach utilities, requiring annexation. That would come before the City Commission for approval.
"It isn't our responsibility, but I think because of where it's located, we have so many children around there that to me, it seems like the right thing to do — the right course of action," Persis said.
Volusia County Schools also has a joint use agreement with the city for the sports complex.
"So there's students on those fields all the time," Persis said. "And Pine Trail Elementary is not far away, as well."
VCS Superintendent Carmen Balgobin said the district's safety and security department, along with its operational division, is looking into the fuel farm issue and working on an assessment regarding the proposed location. The district will use that assessment to support a position on the matter in writing.
"It appears clear as day that there is a safety issue," Balgobin said. "But I suggest that if we're going to write a letter, that we have the backup to support it, and that's what the team is gathering right now."
District staff plans to have the assessment ready prior to the board's next meeting on Sept. 26.
School Board members all agreed to support a letter of opposition. Board member Ruben Colon said that, while he typically stays away from political issues related to development, he was concerned about the fuel farm.
"I trust you and your understanding of your community," he said to Persis. "... I do think that [the fuel farm] is a clear danger."
