- November 27, 2024
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Ormond Beach company S.R. Perrott is contesting the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's decision to issue an air construction permit to Belvedere Terminals, which seeks to construct a fuel farm in the property behind their headquarters.
The food and beverage distribution company filed an amended petition to the FDEP for an administrative hearing regarding the permit, in particular stating that Belvedere failed in providing adequate public notice.
Though S.R. Perrott's headquarters are located across the railroad tracks from the property at 874 Hull Road — where Belvedere aims to construct its fuel terminal — the 163-page petition states its executive vice president, Gary Connors, learned about the issuance of the permit on Aug. 2 while getting a haircut at a local barbershop.
Belvedere was issued the permit on Aug. 1.
The fuel terminal at 874 Hull Road is one of 10 Belvedere seeks to develop in the next five years. The St. Petersburg-based company recently announced it plans to invest $750 million in the state and add over 200 jobs. The company plans to build the first site in Jacksonville, followed by spurs in Ormond Beach and Ft. Pierce.
Belvedere aims to improve the state's supply chain by making the state less reliant on port deliveries of fuel, according to a news release.
The proposed fuel terminal in Ormond Beach would serve over 160 trucks a day and have 16 storage tanks to contain over 20 million gallons of liquid petroleum products and additives. The fuel farm would also have about 160,000 gallons of storage capacity for propane.
"To say that this project is controversial is an understatement," the petition states.
After becoming aware of the permit, S.R. Perrott, which has a workforce of 190 employees, reached out to Halifax Paving, headquartered at 860 Hull Road. Halifax Paving, according to the petition, had not been notified of the FDEP permit either. Halifax Paving obtained a copy of the permit from FDEP's public records and shared it with S.R. Perrott later in the day on Aug. 2.
S.R. Perrott argues that Belvedere's public notice for the permit in the Hometown News was insufficient and failed to comply with statutory requirements. The company also argues that the "permit and its safeguards do not fully consider and mitigate the proposed project's full potential to emit pollutants."
This petition is the company's second. It filed a petition on Aug. 15, which FDEP dismissed with leave to amend, stating S.R. Perrott had been notified of the notice via letter. S.R. Perrott states they never received it.
S.R. Perrott's petition was supported by the city of Ormond Beach's attorney and legal team, according to a statement from the city on Facebook.
"We remain committed to transparency, community welfare, and ensuring that all legal avenues are explored," the city wrote. "Together, we can protect the beauty and integrity of Ormond Beach."
The Ormond Beach City Commission voted on Sept. 20 to deny Belvedere Terminals connection to utilities and annexation, should it approach the city. The property at 874 Hull Road is located in unincorporated Volusia County, so a development application would be reviewed by the county.
