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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Meeting Minutes 09-29-2005 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. AGENDA MEMBERS PRESENT: Stephanie Morgan, Pamela Hammer, John Knapp, Ed Lounds, Ramon Trias, Carson McCurdy and Kathryn Hensley. MEMBERS ABSENT: Charles Grande, Chairman; Bill Hearn, Vice-Chairman OTHERS PRESENT: Mr. David Kelly, Planning Manager; Ms. Heather Young, Assistant County Attorney; Mr. Hank Flores, Senior Planer; Ms. Diana Waite, Senior Planer; and Ms. Talea Owens, Senior Staff Assistant. CALL TO ORDER The Chairman called to order the meeting of the St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission at 6:03 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL DISCLOSURES ANNOUNCEMENT 1 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Due to the absence of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, Mr. McCurdy was elected by the Planning and Zoning Commission to be chairman of this meeting. Mr. David Kelly announced that there are two petitions being presented before the board. One of the petitions is for rezoning and the other is for a Conditional Use permit proposal for a power plant, located in the western part of the County. Mr. Kelly stated staff will provide a complete overview of both items. He stated they will open both hearings simultaneously. When reviewing a rezoning and a Conditional Use on the same item, it becomes impossible to separate them for purposes of discussion. combined There will be one public hearing, but there will be two separate votes (one on the rezoning and one for the Conditional Use). For purposes of taking public comments, both items will be heard together and during the public hearing, speakers may address either petition or both. Mr. Kelly announced the procedure of the motion readings. He stated a commissioner will read a prepared motion either for or against the petition and the board will vote upon the motion. The Chairman gave a brief presentation of the hearing procedures and what to expect from the hearing. Chairman McCurdy announced that a five minute time limit will be set for all public speakers due to the excess amount of people present to speak: The Planning and Zoning Commission is an agency that makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on land use matters. These recommendations are made after consideration of staff recommendation and information gathered at a public hearing, such as those we will hold today. The meeting will progress in the following manner: 2 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The Chairman will call each item. Staff will make a brief presentation on the facts of the request. The petitioner will explain his or her request to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Members of the public will be allowed to present information regarding the request. The public portion of the meeting will be closed and the Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss the request. Further public comment will not be accepted unless the Planning and Zoning Commission has specific questions. The Planning and Zoning Commission will vote on its recommendation after its discussion. For legal reasons, the motion may be chosen and read from a script provided by staff. Motions both for and against are provided to the Planning and Zoning Commission members. The recommendation is then forwarded to the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners for their consideration and vote, usually within the next Month. Once again the Planning and Zoning Commission acts only in an advisory capacity for the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners. If you are not happy with the outcome of this hearing, you will have the opportunity to speak at the public hearing in front of the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners. Due to the excess amount of people attending the meeting, Chairman McCurdy set a five minute time limit for the public hearing speakers. 3 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The roll call was made and the Chairman asked if there were any other announcements to be made. A few of the P&Z Commission members stated they have spoken with a number of members from the public and attorneys regarding these petitions. Chairman McCurdy announced he owns a FPL stock, however, he feels that this will not have any influence on the way he votes, in regards to the FPL project. Mr. Michael Warner stated he is present on the behalf of the Rodriquez family and that they own a substantial amount of acreage to the southwest of the proposed project. He stated it is owned by a number of different family members. He asked that this meeting be divided into two different hearings for the benefit and advantage to the applicant. 4 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 1 & 2: FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT COMPANY- CU-05-008 & RZ-05-009 Mr. David Kelly, Planning Manager stated these are the petitions of FPL for a Rezoning and a Conditional Use. Beginning with the Rezoning petition, Mr. Kelly stated this is the application of Florida Power and Light Company for a Change in Zoning from the AG-5 Zoning District to the Utilities Zoning District. The property is located on the eastside of Bluefield Road, approximately 4 miles south of State Road 70, which is Okeechobee Road. The proposed zoning is Utilities. He stated the Future Land Use is AG-5. He stated the parcel size is approximately 3,000 acres. He stated there are 7,000 acres that may be referenced later. Mr. Kelly stated the purchase for FPL is about 7,000 acres, wherein a portion of that will be available to the County and another portion of this will be available to the Water Management District. He stated portion is about 3, 000 acres. Mr. Kelly stated the purpose of the changes is to allow for the application by Florida Power and Light, for a Conditional Use permit and a major site plan to allow the construction of a 1700 Megawatt electric generation plan, which would consist of two 850 Megawatt units on the 3,000 acres. If this rezoning is approved then the Utility Zoning District will be the appropriate zoning and will apply. Chairman McCurdy asked what the total acreage involved in rezoning is. Mr. Kelly stated approximately 3,000 acres. Chairman McCurdy asked what the total site owned by FPL is. in the Utilities. Rachel Scott, with Florida Power and Light Company stated they do not own the property, but have an option of 7,410 acres. She stated the zoning requests for to have lower than 3,000 acres. 5 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Chairman McCurdy thanked Ms. Scott. Mr. Kelly stated primary uses in the area are Agricultural. He added the Bluefield Ranch Preserve is also located to the west of the subject property and Fire Station # 11 is located approximately 20 miles to the northeast. If approved, the applicant will provide their own water and sewer on the site. Staff has looked at traffic for the issues regarding future traffic impacts. He stated the long term traffic impacts for the operation of plants, will be minor. However through the constructional phase, there will be a many workers on site doing construction. The applicant will be working with the Department of Transportation to provide transportation improvements to deal with traffic issues. Mr. Kelly stated the proposed project was submitted in conjunction with the conditional use. However, the conditions placed on the conditional use are not appropriate for the rezoning. If the Local Planning Agency wishes to make a motion and place conditions with the motion, the conditions will only apply to the conditional use. Staff has looked through the various standards for rezoning and finds it to be consistent with the Land Development Code and the Comprehensive Plan. The Utilities Zoning District may be consistent with the existing agricultural preserve character of the surrounding area. Conditions placed on the proposed electric generation plant, through the conditional use can help assure the consistency. This occurs in the zoning report, but is really apart of the conditional use. Staff has viewed the possible demands of the proposed project on public facilities. Staff does not expect significant additional demands in the area. The water and sewer will not impact public systems, because they will be provided on site. The traffic impacts are being handled and schools will not be a problem. No other public facility impacts are expected. Will it impact the natural environment? Staff has attached a report that deals with the entire issue of the natural environment. Concerning logical development patterns: 6 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The proposed change can result in an orderly and logically development pattern of the surrounding area. The surrounding parcels of property are designated AG-5 and by both determined to be compatible in these area. The issue of compatibility for uses such as an electric generation plant must ultimately be ensured through conditions. Staff finds that the proposed project is not in conflict with the public interest and is in harmony with the purpose and intent of the plan. The petitioner has requested the change in zoning on land 4 miles south of Okeechobee Road, along Bluefield Road. Staff has reviewed the petition and has determined that it conforms to the standard of review as set forth in the Land Development Code. There is a tie between the rezoning and the conditional use and staff recommends approval of the rezoning. In addition to the proposed project, staff finds that the conditional use is not in conflict The second question has to do with adverse impact on your bi-properties. We have to recognize that a 1700 megawatt plant is going to impact properties in the area. The effect to which is considered adverse must be handled and can be mitigated by the site design and the lay out, in specific actions taken by the applicant and the County, to protect nearby and distant properties. Staff feels that the applicant has designed the project to minimize the impact in natural areas. The proposed project provides substantial buffers and brims around the project. The proposed project makes important water retention areas available to the South Florida Water Management District and dedicates adjacent areas to the County. A recommendation of a condition of approval requires County review of the final design of the buffer and brim areas. It also requires the County to review the area that is proposed for dedication to adopt it. 7 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The applicant has proposed the use of various technologies to minimize the impact of plant emissions. An analysis of these efforts is attached as a part of the report, prepared by an independent consultant. The air quality specialist that the County retained to review the data received from FPL is associates. In addition to air emissions, the County staff has been concerned with the emission of light and noise from the plant. The applicant has provided information concerning these issues. The applicant has projected that the proposed use will c ordinance. Staff has placed a condition of approval that requires County review of the final lighting design. Long term traffic impacts are expected to be minimal. In addition, the applicant is dealing with the construction traffic. Another issue being dealt with is rail traffic. Staff expects rail traffic, providing coal fuel to the plant, to impact intersections in other portions of the County, as the trains go by. The applicant will provide more information about the trains, concerning how often they provide the coal fuel and how long the time period will be. The applicant has agreed to attempt to minimize the impact by working with the rail carriers to time the trains so that they will not be in the peak hours. Staff does not amend any significant impacts on public facilities in the rezoning. Staff does expect the plant to impact the natural environment. Under consistency with local ordinance in the Comprehensive Plan, staff has found that the plant, with proper conditions, can be consistent with both the Land Development Code and the Comprehensive Plan. Staff has attempted to address all impacts that the plant may have on nearby properties and feel that these impacts can be minimized. The adequacy of public facilities has been addressed, as well as traffic, water and sewer issues. Staff also addressed solid waste issues. A plant such as this has solid waste and byproducts that have to be removed from this site. 8 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The applicant has indicted that they will go out in rail cars that bring either the coal or other products to this site and there will be no additional rails or truck trips to remove those items from the site. The fire department has indicted that they can deal with this. Schools are not an issue. The environmental impacts will be dealt with, with the ERD report. The conditions that have been provided in the staff report indicates that there are 11 environmental conditions and there were 6 recommended road and bridge conditions provided. Staff recommends all of the conditions. Staff also recommends approval. Staff feels that this project can be done in a manner that is safe for the County. Ms. Hammer asked how the water and sewer services will be provided on site. Mr. Kelly stated water and sewer for domestic is, well and septic. There is a need for cooling for the plant and for the first year, it is intended to be a well and after that there will be additional opportunities for cooling. Chairman McCurdy asked if there were questions of staff. Jonathan Ferguson, an attorney with the law firm of Ruden McKloskey, speaking on the behalf of the applicant-FPL, stated they have two applications being presented. One of the applications is for a rezoning of 3,000 acres, from the AG-5 Zoning Category to the Utility Zoning Category. The second application is for a Conditional Use permit, to site an electric generating plant on the 3,000 acres. FPL, in part of their discussion, will include 7,400 acres, however, the application only include the southern 3,000 acres. Mr. Ferguson stated the traffic study was based on 180 full-time employees. Mr. Ferguson stated they have put together a single presentation that covers all of the standards that would be applied and evaluated for both applications. However, the Planning and Zoning Commissioners will be voting on both applications individually. There will be two different votes, one for the rezoning and another voting on the Conditional Use. 9 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Mr. Ferguson stated Ms. Rachel Scott, from the Florida Power and Light Company will be presenting tonight, on the behalf of FPL. All of the various consultants and experts are available to answer any specific questions. Ms. Scott will go through the entire presentation and cover all of the various aspects of the project. Mr. Ferguson stated they request an opportunity to respond to the public comment, after the public has had their full opportunity to provide the board with comments. Chairman McCurdy asked if there any questions of the applicant. For the record, Mr. Knapp has arrived. Ms. Rachel Scott, communication manager for the Florida Power and Light Company stated their intent is to provide a project overview and open up the hearing for questions and public comments. Ms. Scott stated there is a coal generating unit in Martin County and it operates well. She stated when we are planning a project to provide power; it is because of demand and expense. There is a need to provide a reliable source of power for the customers as well as an affordable source of power. Approximately 80% of our generating capacity was coming from oil. For this reason, the Florida Power and Light Company have embarked on building the St. Lucie Nuclear units. Through this process and over the years, they have learned that it is very important to them that when they are considering a new project, to involve the community in the discussions and listen to the community as well. The topics that they will cover involve the fact that the project was designed for a need to serve their customers and protect the environment. Ms. Scott stated she will discuss the review process, to put in context where the zoning roject, in regard to the overall power plant site-ing process that they go through. 10 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Ms. Scott will also address the need for power and whey there is a need to build a new power plant. In addition, she will provide and overview of the project itself. In regard to the overall process, when there is a large power plant similar to the proposed power plant, the developers have to go through a very extensive application and review process. This zoning application and Conditional Use requests that is being presented tonight is the very first step in a very long process. It is a very important step and it begins locally. In Florida, a power plant is sited under what is called the power plant site-ing act. In this, the applicant will file an application to the Florida Department of Environmental protection. DEP will serve as the coordinating agency and then they will distribute that application to about a dozen different governmental entities and agencies to review, to make sure that the applicant is meeting all of their standards in their project. For example, the application will not only go to St. Lucie County for review, but it will also go to the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Counsel, South Florida Water Management District, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Corp of Engineers, EPA and all of the agencies that will have standards or criteria for the design of a project of this size. Ms. Scott stated they are area at the very beginning of this process. FPL has to issue a request for proposal, so that if another power provider can present a project that can meet this need for power in the timeline that they have identified, and perform it more cost effectively than FPL, then they will be the ones to build a project to meet that need. For example, when going through a process to identify a need for a new project, they are looking at how much power is need for the customers in a 10-year site-ing process. In other words, they identify a need for 1700 megawatts of power. This includes the two 850 megawatts that Mr. Kelly spoke about. This is expected to be established beginning in the summer of 2012. The first unit will need to come on line in 2012 and the second in 2013. This is how they start the timeline. 11 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The timeline began by looking at demographic data from the University of Florida, and their own data about how much power, their customers are using. By doing this, they are able to project this need and identify that they will need to meet that need in this time frame. Backing up a little, Ms. Scott stated they are aware that these units will take four years each to construct and they will start unit one, hopefully in the summer of 2008 and unit two in the summer of 2009. There will be a five-year construction period and then they will back up from there to allow for this review application process with the state power plant site-ing act, and then back up from that to begin here at the Planning and Zoning Commission with the zoning. St. Lucie County and the community will be involved in the entire process throughout. It is very important to understand why FPL has inhered to propose a new power plant. When FPL does their 10-year planning process, they look at how much power they need ten years into the future. Ms. Scott stated they are adding about 100,000 customers a year, which is about 100, 000 other thing that is driving the increase need for power is all of us. Those of us, who are already here, are using more and more power as we are adding electronic devices and appliances in our homes. These two factors are what are driving the need for additional power. Over the past few years, FPL has been building a lot of power plants to try to keep up with the need to provide reliable power to their customers. spaced throughout the service territory. It is very important to make sure that the generation is in the area where the customer growth is taking place. In the past few years, FPL has been building new power plants. FPL has added new plants in Manatee County, Lee County, and Volusia County and has just started construction on a new power plant in Miami Dade County this past summer. In addition, this summer, FPL has brought on line a new generating unit in Martin County and their Indiantown site. 12 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. FPL has identified a need for additional power in 2009 and 2010 that will be served by a new power plant that they hope to bring on line in Palm Beach County. Ms. Scott stated they have a tremendous amount of new power plants coming on line yet there is a need for more power plants. All of the plants that were mentioned rely on natural gas, as a primary source of fuel. For FPL to be sure to have a reliable source of power for their customers, they have to have a reliable supply of fuel. Currently, FPL have about 38% of their generation capacity coming from natural gas, 18% from oil, about 21% from nuclear and through their own coal units and power that they purchase from other coal generating units, about 19% coal. This ensures that fuel will be available to FPL to provide power, and having a mix of fuel helps to keep the fuel cost down which is lower than what they would be, if they were relying on one or two sources of fuel. Although there is a pretty good mix today, the fact that more natural gas units are being built, if we continue to rely on natural gas, by 2013, the time that we need this new amount of power, we would end up with 65% of our generation coming from natural gas. dependent on oil and needed to bring in another fuel to our mix. The real concern with having this much dependence on a single source of fuel is one that we have seen very recently here, with Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. The results of those hurricanes restricted the amount of natural gas coming out of the requesting people to decrease their electric usage. During those times, at stores like Publix, some of the lights were dim in the store and there were notices up about the energy shortage. The other problem is that there are only two natural gas pipelines coming into Florida, providing natural gas. These gas pipelines are reaching capacity. We are limited in the amount of natural gas and are subject to these types of disruptions from hurricanes. 13 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The other reason for bringing in coal to supplement their fuel supply is the price of natural gas. The natural gas prices are sky rocketing and will continue to climb at a very steep rate. Coal is also is increasing, but at a much slower pace. The Florida Public Service Commission asked FPL to consider bringing Coal in to increase the fuel supply to lessen pay the cost of fuel directly. The Florida Power and Light Company do not profit on it, but it is a direct pass through. Since 200, the fuel portion of their are going to continue to rise. the line or in the years 2012 and 2013, before FPL decides to go out and build a new power plant, their system planning group look at the types of conservation programs and road management programs that was mentioned. Through their customers, FPL is the leading utility in the Country on conservation. The look at that and figure out how much of the projected power supply can be off set by conservation programs. They also look at all of the variety of fuels that are available to meet this additional need that the conservation will not off set. FPL also look at renewable sources such as wind and solar. FPL has a sister subsidiary called FPL Energy. This is their sister subsidiary that operates outside of Florida in the unregulated environment and FPL is the largest producer of wind power in the county and they are the largest producer of solar power in the world. There is not a steady amount of solar or wind in Florida that is needed to provide reliable power to their customers. However, FPL is continuing to look at the technologies as they develop and are looking at doing a wind demonstration project in Florida. In terms of the proposed project, property is bordered on the east by the C-23 canal and it is about four miles south of stated road 70. The technology that they are proposing is a very advanced coal generation technology. When FPL recognized that they needed to bring coal into their mix, their design team went out to see what kind of coal generation is available today that they could bring in and do it in an environmental protective way that would be acceptable to the community and would make sense for their customers. 14 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The two units that they are proposing are an advance generation technology and a highly efficient technology. It would also be coupled with very extensive advance technology pollution control equipment so that they can be protective of the environment. Why are we proposing to build and coal plant and why are we proposing to build it in St. Lucie County ? There are five criteria that were looked at in choosing this site. The first was a need for a large parcel of land. They needed about a 2500 to 3000 acre site. This allows them to bring the fuel supply all the way into the plant site. The fuel will be delivered by train and with this size of a property, they can put in a double rail loop so that as the trains come into the site, they can be continuously moving and not stopping along the way, blocking intersections. There also was a need of multiple water sources. The advantage of this site is that they have the C-23 Canal on the east and 8 miles south of this site, at the Martin plant in Indiantown, there is an existing very large generating site that has a very large cooling pond already there. They can also put a pipeline down to the site in Martin County and draw water from there, to use for cooling. Another very important criterion was to put this site as close to transmission, as possible. This enables us to get out of the power that would be generated out to their transmission system as efficiently as possible, minimizing the amount of additional transmission lines that would need to be built. This site is about 3 miles west of their major north-south 500 KV line. Why this site is so unique? This site is so unique because it is very close to dual well access. This was an essential factor in selecting this site. To have a coal project, meeting the needs that were mentioned, brings in a lower cost fuel for their customers. One of the most important ways to bring in lower cost fuel for their customers is to set up cost competition in the deliver of the fuel itself. By having two competing well lines, brining the fuel in, allows for the cost of the delivery to be reduced. This also provides and opportunity to bring the fuel in from the east and the west, about 50% of the time. 15 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Finally, the site needed to be close to where the demand for electricity is taking place, which is in the south Florida region. St. Lucie County is not the only one that is growing. important to have the project site close to the demand area. When they looked at all of this criteria, the subject site, met the criteria very well. This is why FPL is proposing this particular property. They have identified an advanced technology and they identified a site. However, one of the most important factors that went into designing this project is whether or not the applicants can bring this new coal fire technology in and do it in a way that would be protective of the environment. FPL is one of the cleanest utilities in the United States. They seek to maintain their position as environmental readers. This is a very important element to the customers in the community that they serve. They coal generation available today is about 20% more efficient than older style coal plants. This means 20% less coal can be burned and there will be 20% less emissions through the same amount of power. In addition, there are advanced pollution control technologies available today that would allow them to minimize emissions to be sure that they can produce this power in a way that would protect public health and safety and would protect the environment. One of the challenge that we all face when considering a new technology or bringing in old technologies is the perceptions are based on the idea of old coal plants. Before the Clean Air Act was implemented, pre- control that was used and the emissions were very high. Once the Clean Air Act was implemented, there was more control technologies developed and as there were more and more stringent regulations adopted going forward, more technology was developed to enable power to be produced in a way that could meet those stricter standards. Overtime, there are four different pollution control technologies that are being proposed to put onto this plant to control sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate and fine particulate. This pollution control technologies will also control mercury. As a result, we can see the relative emissions today are very low. 16 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. One very important part of the application review process statewide is that the Department of Environment Protection must issue an air permit. FPL has to demonstrate that the project that they are proposing will be very strict air quality standards before they can obtain a permit to operate this plant. There are two different standards that they have set through the Environment Protection Agency and the Department of Environment. Through the design of the plant, the generation technology and the pollution control equipment, FPL will need the very strict standards that were set to protect public health and welfare and air quality and they will be well below those standards as well. The Environmental Protection Agency has adopted a new mercury rule this past may. This is the first time that this limit has been set for coal fire generating plants. How will the water and waste water be managed at this site? The site will have the opportunity to take excess storm water from the C-23 Canal. South Florida Water Management District as well as the community is critically aware and concerned about the damage that was seen to the St. Lucie Estuary-The Indian River Lagoon from all of the fresh water discharges that are disrupting that serenity balance. The new generation technology provides an opportunity to recycle the byproducts. Through the generation and pollution control technologies, there will be two byproducts that are produced-ash and gypsum. Ash can be used in the cement industry and Gypsum can be used to produce wallboard. FPL will provide an on site storage system, in case there was an interruption and a manufactures ability to take those byproducts. FPL expects to be able to send all of the byproducts out to be recycled into useful products but they also have the capability to store it on site if need be. In regards to the neighbors and how this project will affect their neighbors, they have heard that there is a concern about how this plant will impact the rural character of this area. Only about 20% of the 3,000 acres will be used for power generation units themselves. The balance of the site, the 4400 acres, provides a real opportunity. 17 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. FPL found that the South Florida Water Management District is very interested in acquiring 3,000 acres of those 4400 acres to use to complete their comprehensive This is a project that was bumping up against some funding issues. FPL has an opportunity to work with South Florida Water Management District so that they can acquire those 3,000 acres to complete the Indian River Lagoon South Project, which is designed to help with the conditions of the St. Lucie Estuary. th On September 14 t board passed a resolution authorizing their staff to enter into negotiations with FPL to acquire that property. In regards to the other 1400 acres, FPL has been talking to the County about the possibility of transferring that property so that it could be used as environmental lands and public use. About 900 acres can be used for conservations and there is an existing wetland there that can be protected. The other 500 acres can be used as a public park or however the County wants to use that property. Because FPL is proposing to set aside 4400 acres of the 7400 acre site, that that will indeed protect the rural character of this area. FPL will design the plant site to be buffered and brimmed and landscaped to protect the character of this area. How will this project the Blue field Ranch Preservations, being that this site is right next to it? There is sensitive land at both the Martin County and St. Lucie County plant sites. FPL has been able to preserve the sensitive land and it has become a protective habitat for a lot of threatened and endangered species. What impacts a new coal plant is going to have on property values? These projects do not have an adverse impact on property values. Because they are proposing to set aside the 4400 acres for environmental lands and public use, the sets up and additional natural buffer for neighboring properties and hopefully enhances the long term property value in the area. What about noises? 18 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. There is a County noise standard that FPL has to meet. What about Lighting? This is a rural area. FPL will be working towards designing the project in a way where the lighting will be directional and will be shielded to minimize impacts as much as possible. What about the Train traffic? For this project, FPL will need one 125 car-trains of coal delivered to the site everyday. This train can come in from the east or from the west. Because of competition, they expect the train to come 50% of the time from the east and 50% of the time from the west. FPL will also need one 40 car-train of limestone, every four days. The limestone is used in the pollution control technology. In addition to the fact that this site provides the opportunity to put a double rail loop in so that these trains can be continuously moving until they are within the property. The dual rail also provides about a 50/50 split of traffic. Kimberly Horn and Associates did a traffic report analysis. They found in a worst case scenario that as the trains would come through intersection, the delay time would between 2 ½ and 5 ½ minutes. They have been working hard to address those traffic concerns and as Mr. Kelly mentioned, they share those concerns with the rail lines as well. Benefits and Opportunities One of the benefits is that they are proposing to transfer 4400 acres of the property for use by the South Florida Water Management District and the Indian River Lagoon South Project as well as 1400 acres to St. Lucie County, for environmental and public land use. Another benefit is the fact that they will be taking excess storm water from C-23 Canal to use at the plant, rather than having it discharge to the St. Lucie Estuary. 19 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The other benefits that have potential value to the community are economic benefits. This project will provide 180 full-time jobs. However during the 5-year construction period that was mentioned, there will be 1600 construction jobs annually. Fishkind and Associates looked at the economic indirect impacts as well as the economic impacts. They found, in addition to the 1600 construction jobs, there will be 1600 indirect construction-related jobs, during the 5-year construction period. There will also be an infusion of $260 million annually into the local economy every year during the 5-year construction period. Once the plan is operational, in addition to the 180 full-time jobs, there will be 419 indirect jobs. The plant is a very large investment. It is a 2.7 billion dollar project. 700 million of that will be spent on the extensive amount of pollution control equipment. The property tax value that could come from this plant, over the life of the project (40 years), will be about 1.1 billion dollars. This is approximately 27 million dollars annually. This is tax revenue that can provide County services, funding for schools, the fire district and all of the various services that all of the residents of St. Lucie County pay for through their property taxes as well. In conclusion, throughout the design of this project, they have worked very had to put together a project design that will bring in a dependable, low cost fuel supply. They also want to protect the environment. Chairman McCurdy asked if there were questions of the applicant. Mr. Mundt asked if the applicant has agreed to staff recommending that the activated carbon injected system be added as a condition. Mr. David Hicks, senior director of project development stated the environmental protection agency is the Federal Agency that is vested with the responsibility of protecting human health and setting air quality standards. The Environmental Protection Agency after extensive research and analysis came up with two rules in the spring. CAM-R is a mercury emission regulation associated with all plants and the research performance standards on mercury regulations associated with new power plants. 20 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. FPL being a leader in environmental stewardship is planning this facility to include $700 million dollars of pollution control equipment. In addition, FPL has future proofed this plan in this instance by including space for activated carbon injection or a similar device. To further enhance mercury removal, above very high standards or very high emissions control rates. FPL has committed to incorporate activate carbon injection in this plant design, when it meets several criteria. Chairman McCurdy products. Mr. Hicks stated he does not have an exact day for that and the existing systems do not provide those guarantees but they are working hard at those systems. Mr. Mundt asked if the $276 million is materials and labor that would be purchased locally. Ms. Scott stated it will be the service contracts and purchases. Mr. Ken Koskey stated in regards to the TL handling, they have provided information to the air consultants that evaluated the concentrations. The actual amount for the project is very similar to the amounts of other projects, including one in Jacksonville. Mr. Lounds stated he has concerns about the trains. He asked if there will be 140 car- trains. Ms. Scott stated the project will require one-round trip delivery. The train will come in either from the east or the west and will come completely into the property site. It will unload the fuel in an enclosed housing to minimize any kind of emissions. This will take about eight hours, and then the train will be available to leave the site and will leave going the same direction from whence it came. This is for both the coal delivery as well as the limestone delivery. Ms. Scott stated it is 125 car-trains for the coal and 40 car-trains for the limestone. Mr. Lounds asked how long the train is. 21 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Ms. Scott stated the train is approximately 1 ½ miles long. Mr. McCurdy asked what is the footprint of the actual generation facility on this site. Mr. John Genecko manager stated it will be approximately a total of 200 acres for the infrastructure itself. Mr. Kelly stated the County does not have to rezone the entire 3,000 acres. He also added the buffers do not have to be rezoned. Mr. Trias asked if the applicant has done anymore site planning than what was included in the packets. Mr. John Genecko stated the site plan that was included in the packets is the developed site plan. There are conceptual landscaping plans that were also included in the application. Chairman McCurdy opened the public hearing. Ms. Holly Benz, with the Florida Public Research group stated they are a statewide, non profit organization and she is at the meeting on behalf of their thousands of members who are also Florida Power and Light rate payers. She stated spending billions of dollars to build a traditional pulverized coal plant is the wrong decision for St. Lucie County. She stated the coal plant will raise issues regarding soot and fine particle pollution. She stated the biggest concern regarding coal fired power plants is Nitrogen Oxide and Sulfur Dioxide because they form smog and soot. Soot and fine particles are some of the most dangerous power plant pollutants. Fine particles are smaller than the width of a human hair and they can get lodged so deeply in your lungs that you do not expel them. Find particles promote asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer and premature death. Because this pollution is so dangerous, even at regular levels, the Air Environmental Protection Agency is considering new stricter health-based standards. 22 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. In the additional particulate pollution from a 1700 megawatt, a coal fired power plant can have some impact on some of the areas of ability to meet these new standards. She stated nitrogen and sunlight and other chemicals in the ozone layer produce smog. It burns the lungs and makes asthma worse in children and elderly. Children and the Elderly are the number one victims. Mercury will be in the fish. Recent test by the EPA stated every fish was contaminated with mercury. It also showed that 62% or about 2/3 of them had mercury levels that were higher than what the EPA considers to be a safe level It only takes about a gram of Mercury to contaminate fish in a 25 acre lake. Mercury affects children. Mercury comes out of the smoke stack and falls back down into the lakes and rivers. It then begins making its way through the food chain. During this, a chemical process takes place and converts this mercury to methyl mercury. Methyl mercury a form of mercury that is most dangerous for humans. Mercury particularly affects children and fetuses. Those that are exposed to mercury pollution are at risk for developmental delays, including delays in walking and talking as well as developing their motor skills. Health and medical experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Learning Disability Association of America, the Florida Medical Association and others have all expressed concern that current laws regulating power plant and mercury pollution are not strong enough to protect human health. Electric utilities can emit unlimited amounts of carbon dioxide pollution, which is the global warning pollutant. This year, the U. S. Senate passed a byproduct resolution calling for limits on carbon dioxide pollution from the electric utility sector. In a number of states and utilities, they now include the cost of anticipated carbon dioxide regulations and their planning process. There are cleaner, cheaper and healthier options for meeting the power needs here. Dr. Steven Smith stated they are very concerned about the power plant. He stated this is very large and very significant. He stated they have dialogued and continues to dialogue the FPL power plant. He stated they recommend that the Planning and Zoning Commission Board votes no. 23 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Dr. Smith stated FPL is not doing all they can to control the demand and growth. He stated there is no such thing as clean coal. Coal by definition is dirty. Pulverized coal is not the best plan for using coal as fuel. Dr. Smith stated CO2 is very significant to the state of Florida because of global warning. He stated this will impact tourism and the beach economy. He stated he challenges the Planning and Zoning Board to challenge FPL to come back with a plan that uses the best available control type management. Dr. Smith stated in the emissions, there will be over 14 million pounds of Sulfur Dioxide, 1.7 million pounds of particulate matter, 8.2 million pounds of Nitrogen Oxide and over 24 billion pounds of Carbon Dioxide. Dr. Smith agrees with the previous speaker on the issue of Carbon Dioxide being a significant issue for Florida because of global warning. Coal gasification can significantly reduce to particularly to sulfur emissions. Mr. John Ryan stated he came to Planning as a conservationist and he has been involved directly as two sidings as a rate payer and as a representer of the interest of the conservational organization. He stated they would like to raise a number of issues to protect the public. One of the reasons why the land is so big is because the power plant is a discharge facility. He stated whether or not the Planning and Zoning Board decide to approve or deny this application, he wants the Board to do a regional analysis and provide reasons as to why the conditions should occur. Mr. Richard Fermund stated he is an FPL rate payer and a retired engineer. He stated he used to work for the Florida Power and Light Company. He stated he will talk about Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and exactly what it is. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is the alternative that is much cleaner and can be more economically feasible than coal. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle is the chemical conversion of coal to synthetic gas for combustion in a combined cycle. It is inherently cleaner because coal is not combusted. Rather, the pollutants are removed with much greater efficiency. 24 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Within the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle the gas that comes out is fairly concentrated. It is 30% Hydrogen, 40% CO, and 15% Carbon Dioxide. It has a very concentrated fume stream and is very easy to remove the mercury down to 99 % +. This has been done commercially in an eastern culvert plant and has also been tested at the Tampa plant. It is also easier to remove Carbon Dioxide and use Sulfur. It also provides future capabilities of the plant. With the Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle you can generate electricity and use the same gas to produce petrochemicals, Hydrogen, Ammonia and Methanol. Mr. Lounds asked if Mr. Fermund can relate the coal consumption between the systems that he is talking about to what FPL is currently proposing. Mr. Fermund stated the fuel consumption will be slightly less because the plants are about the same. Mr. Fermund stated the plant that he suggests will create fewer pollutants than the plant that FPL proposes to develop. Ms. Grace Scott stated she is speaking for the St. Lucie County society. She St. Lucie County. She stated they would like to have a sustainable, clean airway industry. She stated coal makes industry dirty. She stated there are troubles in using imported oils. She stated she wants the board to vote no on this project. Ms. Laurie Odlum stated she is with Auto Bond of Martin County. She stated they are one of the two of Martin C chapters. They are all members of National Auto Bond and Florida Auto Bond. She stated they have a two fold mission: 1.To heighten the awareness about birds and the fragile beauty of the national environment. 2. To protect the birds and their habitat for the pleasure and enjoyment of future generations and for ourselves. 25 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. She stated their job in Martin County has been protecting and preserving habitats in the Treasure Coast for humans and wildlife for 40 years. She stated she is present to speak for the birds that have no choice or a voice of their own to make the County aware of their homes, their grocery store (the hunting fields) and their dinner tables. She stated the birds food supply will change for the worse if the FPL power plant is approved. She stated we will all be affected by the mercury. Mercury causes heart attacks in humans. She stated the mercury will wash into our water and drainage system. The proposed project will affect reproduction capabilities of the endangered bald eagle. Ms. Odlum stated the birds eat fish out of the Estuary and that is where the mercury will drain into. She recommends denial of the proposed project. Mr. Lounds asked if Ms. Odlum would feel the same if the proposed project was petroleum fired or natural gas fired plant. Ms. Odlum sated they would be most concerns of the emissions of any plant, but they will not feel as strongly. Mr. Charles Olsen stated his family bought one of the first houses in Port St. Lucie. He stated he will focus his comments on the affects that the coal plant will have on St. Lucie County. He stated he has been studying the impacts of the coal power plant. Mr. Olsen stated there will be obvious impacts to the wildlife. There will be hidden impacts to the water system. Endangered species that will be targeted or affected includes the Bald eagle, the Florida Panther and so on. Mr. Olsen stated hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested in this project to preserve it and that will go to waste if the power plant is approved. Y encourage wild life to come here. There is no such thing as clean coal. There is cleaner coal, but not clean coal. He stated this should be rejected because of its violation of the conservationist. There will be adverse impacts on adjacent properties. This property is unique, but not for a power plant. The traffic control is a major issue. There will be the 108 workers going to and from the area, plus the additional construction workers. 26 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. There is also wildlife such as deer, turkeys and panthers that live in the area. He is not in favor of the proposed project for reasons such as those stated by previous speakers who spoke against the coal plant because of air pollution, improper use of the land, no impacts on public facilities, and the affects of the mercury in regards to the fish and children as well as the endangered species that will be affected. Chairman McCurdy thanked Mr. Olsen. Mr. George Calvrose stated the sheer size of this has been unaddressed. He stated he has concerns about the mercury impact involving this huge industrial facility. This is the largest power plant in Florida and is one of the largest proposed coal fired power plants in the United States of America. Florida is under a mercury conservative. Power plants are the greatest source of mercury something. He stated mercury affects the nervous system. People are exposed to mercury through consuming fish. He is against approving this project for reasons identical to the reasons that previous speaker gave in regards to coal not being clean and its impact on children and the ecosystem. Mr. Drew Martin stated their concern has to do with the fact that enough is not being done to conserve energy. He spoke about the preservation of life in the economy. This power plant will be poisoning the Everglades. The birds in the Everglades are being destroyed. He spoke about Mercury and its affects on pregnant women and developing children. Coal is causing severe damage to the ozone layer. Coal comes from huge mountains that are being blown up. Coal mining is very environmentally destructive. Mr. Martin is against the proposed project for various reasons such as the one stated by previous speakers who oppose this project due to affect that burning coal has on the environment and the economy. Mr. Sam Comber stated in recent months, there has been discussion of impact regarding 125 railroad cars per day crossing Midway Road. This is the amount of coal that FPL stated the two proposed units will burn daily. We will be naïve to think that this is the more than two units on the proposed site. 27 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Mr. Comber stated regardless of how many there are ultimately, 125 cars per day is too many and will close Harbor Branch Road, Wilcox Road and Michigan Street as they pass. He added the train will cross and close many roads, some of which are the only accesses to certain areas such as north A1A, which is the only access to North Beach. He added the proposed site is not appropriate for heavy industry. Mr. Comber is not in favor of the proposed project. Mr. Ben Kurmen stated there is a report from the Florida Department of Communications prehensive Rail Plan. The Florida Comprehensive Rail Plan is subdivided into two parts, which includes freight trains and passenger trains. In both parts, the central issue is about freight and CSX Transportation. CSX Transportation intends to restructure their operations in Florida. The ultimate line that FPL talks about is the alternate to the Florida east coast line, wherein they intend to shut down a rail operation for freight and devote to passenger service. This fits directly into an for intra-city transportation. The rail line is already being used by both of the Amtrak trains that serve Florida daily. All of the freight traffic coming in on CSX is going to be diverted over to Florida east coast. The plan is basically this: all of the freight traffic for south Florida will be coming down the Florida east coast, including these coal trains. This will not only include the traffic that the previous speaker addressed, but all of the freight traffic for south Florida coming down the Florida east coast as well. This also includes the coal trains. Dr. Barbra Contie stated she is an FPL rate payer. She stated on the behalf of Ann Vemich-Desivich, she will be submitting her statement as regional director for the Florida Wildlife Federation to the St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Committee. Dr. Contie stated history is propelled by decisions made to accommodate the present, but with unforeseen consequences for the future. The risks of a coal fired energy plant are not clear and long term dangers are immeasurable. Dr. Contie is not in favor of the proposed project because of the various reasons that the previous speakers stated against the proposed project due to coal-fired plants and it dangerous effect on humans, mercury and endangered species. She also agreed with the previous speakers who stated coal is not healthy for the environment. 28 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Dr. Contie also agreed with the previous speakers who spoke against the proposed project because of global warning and the effect that coal fired plants have on the ozone layer, as well as how it promotes asthma. Mr. Patrick Hayes stated FPL offers to contribute land and potential reservoirs which would benefit very generously the Estuary and our problems with Lake Okeechobee. He stated this should not be taken lightly. If the development community were to make as half as generous an offer as FPL has, we probably would not need this plant today. He stated he will not comment as to whether or not this project should be approved or denied. Mr. William Summers stated he is a very strong proponent of many environmental issues that come before us across the state. He is particularly concerned, interested and sponsor those environmental programs particularly in the Treasure Coast. He states he is a very strong proponent of the Indian River Lagoon project. He stated he wants this to be approved. He stated he commends FPL for this project because he feels that this is a major step and it should not be taken lightly. Ms. Karen Smith, Director of the Martin-St. Lucie County Service Center for the South Florida Water Management District speaking on behalf of the South Florida Water Management District stated the Indian River Lagoon is very important in regards to restoring the St. Lucie Estuary. One of the critical components of the Indian River Lagoon plan is the construction of the C-23 and C-24 reservoirs. She added that there was still no treatment in the canals. She stated the C-23 and C-24 canals are located in St. Lucie County and are not connected to Lake Okeechobee. However, as a result of room use, both of these canals are the primary source of Phosphorus to the Estuary. The South Florida Water Management District currently does not have funds for the Traditional Land Acquisition for the C-23 and C-24 projects. Ms. Smith stated approval of the St. Lucie County power plant site will also allow the South Florida Water Management District to enter into an agreement to purchase a significant service that the tax payers are funding. Three quarters are needed to build the C-23 and C-24 reservoirs in storm water treatment areas. 29 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. This will allow the District to accelerate construction of the project with the completion date much earlier than projected. The C-23 and C-24 projects are interval to improving the needs of the Estuary. Without the ability to enter into an agreement with FPL, these reservoirs may not be around in much longer. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. The South Florida Water Management District respectfully request that the Planning and Zoning Board vote for a Conditional Use Permit and a Change in Zoning. Chairman McCurdy thanked Ms. Smith. Mr. Knapp asked Ms. Smith to address the issue with the mercury and its impact that the plants will have in the area. Ms. Smith stated South Florida Water Management District does not regulate air emissions for power plants, and further explanation on the mercury issue needs to be consulted with the expertise that regulate air emissions. Mr. Knapp stated there is mercury in the water now which is a major issue in the clean up of Lake Okeechobee. With the plants, more mercury will be added into the water system. Mr. Knapp asked Ms. Smith if she is okay with the increase mercury not destroying their efforts to restore the Everglades. Ms. Smith stated she is specifically saying their agency does not have the expertise in that area and further consulting on the research of mercury and its impact in that area needs to be consulted with FPL and the air emission experts. Mr. Stan Brunson stated he would like to second the comments that were made in favor of the Indian River Lagoon addition for land. He stated the savings to the state would be an a approximate $40 million dollar difference between the 3,000 acres and the 17 thousand dollars in acres and 3500 dollars in acres wherein the land would be valued out. Mr. Brunson stated for further review and discussions on the mercury issues, there area experts at the Water Management District that do a lot of monitoring on the ground level and within the water. 30 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Mr. Brunson stated a seminar was conducted by South Florida Water Management talked a lot about mercury deposits that are in the Everglade. Mr. West Carlton stated about their properties. He stated the properties have been in their family for about 100 years. He stated he has concerns about where the powerlines will go. He stated he is concerned about their property value. Mr. Mike Monahan, the Director of Law Enforcement for the St. Lucie County Sheriffs Office, stated this project will have an effect on law enforcement in our community. He stated the sheriffs are concerned with the train issues. Mr. Monahan stated FPL told the sheriff that the train will never stop rolling. Each crossing will be approximately five minutes long. He spoke about the Rail road tracks and all of the road ways that it will cut off. He stated no one can control the time in which the train will come through. He added the crossings of parallel US1 through Fort Pierce will have a great impact for the worse on Downtown Fort Pierce and the east of US1. Mr. Monahan stated the sheriff has to attend to many calls in the city and the train and its ongoing services can inter with getting to certain areas, due to the fact that the train cut off multiple roads at once. Mr. Monahan stated the train can close US1, Edwards Road, Oleander and possibly Sunrise at the same time. Carl Revosy stated he lives in Port St. Lucie. He stated he is a chemical engineer by background experience. He stated there are better businesses for supplying sources of light. He agreed with the various previous speakers who spoke against the contaminations and pollutions that will derive through the use the coal fired plants. Mr. Revosy recommends that this petition is tabled. Mr. David Skyles, the president of the St. Lucie County Chambers of Commerce stated they recommend approval of the project. He stated they have well researched the project and weighed the pros and cons. Their Governmental Affairs and Economic Development committees have spent many hours reviewing this project by FPL. 31 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. He stated they recommend approval of the zoning change, as well as this project being sent to the Board of County Commissioners with a recommendation of approval. He stated they have attended many meetings and presentations done by FPL. They have reviewed the County a private consultant that specializes in fossil energy who provided the alignment for their review. They believe that FPL has good intentions for St. Lucie County. Mr. Skyles stated they are in favor of this project. Mr. Steve Maleski stated they has worked for the US department of energy under the Fuel Use Act and they research and environmental and coal transportation study on moving coal to power plants in Florida. He stated he is in favor of coal. However, he recommends that the issue is tabled because further research needs to be done. He stated he does not understand why the Coal Gasification Combined Cycle technology is not being used. He stated this technology has been worked o Mr. Maleski stated he has concerns about the railroads and their impacts on the traffic. He added there will be problems with the coal flying off of the wagons as they pass by. Ms. Kathy Shown stated she have concerns about the noise that will derive from the cooling fans that will be used to cool the water. She stated she feels that this project is not the best fit for this location, for this county. Mr. Randy Verring stated he supports the coal burning plant because of its benefits and contributions to the County. It will provide a great source of power to the economy, especially in times of hurricanes such as that which took place in the Gulf States. Mr. Bob Simons stated he feels that the power that FPL proposes is for export. He is against this project for the reasons mentioned before by the previous speakers who are not in favor of this project because of its impact on the economy, endangered species and pollution to the air. He also feels that the location of the proposed project is not a good place to put a coal fired plant. Mr. Vince Barry stated he supports the FPL project. He stated he has lived here for 18 years. He stated they moved from Lafayette, Indiana. When they lived in Indiana, they 32 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. relied on FPL to supply them with low cost, safe, reliable electricity. He added FPL has never failed to fulfill that responsibility. Mr. Barry stated he has children who live in distant states who also agree that FPL has never failed to fulfill their responsibility. He added FPL is a good company and provides dependable, uninterruptible electricity. He stated he fully supports the St. Lucie County Florida Power and Light Company project. Attorney Michael Winer stated he is here on the behalf of the Rodriquez family. He stated here speaks on the behalf of Daniel Rodriquez, Silvia Rodriquez, Diego Rodriquez, Daniel Rodriquez Jr., Silvia Rodriquez Jr., and Rosanna Rodriquez. The Rodriquez family own 4000 acres immediately to the south of the 7000 acres. He stated the Rodriquez family feels that the application to rezone is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and violates State Statue Section 1.63.3.1.9.1.4 Mr. Winer stated the Future Land Use Code stated the only alternative that this zoning district can change to is residential, not power plants. and county laws, which he will discuss before the Board of County Commissioners. He stated consistency is more than being compatible. He stated if the County buys this project, then this will allow for the use of a power plant being placed anywhere in the County, including in the backyards of homes. He stated if the County grants FPL a Conditional Use permit, they have no control over the Conditional Use permit, even under conditions. Mr. Winer closed stating this project requires a judicial hearing because the applicant is breaking federal and state laws. Mr. Philip Stickles stated is against the FPL project. He stated it is too close to his home. He is against this project and agrees with the previous speakers who are not in favor of this project because of coal and its negative impacts on the economy. Coal releases mercury when it is burned. He also has concerns about the light. Chairman McCurdy closed the public hearing. 33 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. The meeting took a five minute break. Mr. Jonathan Ferguson stated they will only address the critical issues that were brought up by the audience. He stated an electric generating plant is an appropriate and allowable use in the Utilities Zoning District. Mr. Ferguson also stated the County established a power plant as a Conditional Use so that it can not be placed anywhere, but only in the proper zoning district. Rachael Scott stated their senior director of project development will discuss the evaluation that he researched in regards to Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle technology. Mr. Richard Zwoloch will talk about the evaluation that he did in regards to potential impacts of this project on the nearby lands. Dr. Chris Tea will talk about the mercury issues that are a mercury issues that are of great concern to this community. Mr. David Hicks stated the Florida Power and Light Company thoroughly evaluated all of the generating technologies, including IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle). There have been five IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) plants build in the world. One was a complete failure and the other four are all small, less than 300 megawatts demonstration projects characterized by very high capital cost, very large government sub utilities and very low availabilities. He added one of these is a coal plant. Mr. Richard Zwoloch stated the effect of the project site is a citrus grove. He stated citrus grove is not prime habitat for endangered species, nor a good habitat for most wildlife. Although the site is 3,000 acres in size, only approximately 200 acres are going to be occupied by a foot printed cool to generate the facilities. He stated a lot of the acreage will be in uses that are very compatible with agricultural type activities in open land, which includes the storm water reservoirs as well as all of the buffers. Dr. Christopher Teaf stated they have incorporated four separate elements of technology that is designed for this plant to deal with the removal of the mercury. This cost about 700 billion dollars. 34 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. He stated mercury does not go up and come back down. It operates in an environment where it uses a long ranged, global transport system. He stated 95% to 99% of the mercury that comes to St. Lucie County does not come from here, but from Africa, China, Eastern Europe and places that are far from here. Mr. Ferguson and have balanced everything that the County needed to recommend approval of the rezoning and the Conditional use permit, along with the conditions that were included in the staff report. Mr. Ferguson stated they agree with the staff report and respectfully request that their application for a rezoning and conditional use for an electric generating plant permit is forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a recommendation of approval for both applications. Mr. Trias asked where the power is going to be used. Ms. Sc for delivery to customers throughout. Chairman McCurdy asked how seriously the nuclear option was considered. Ms. Scott stated nuclear power is something that they certainly look at. The reason why they are not proposing a nuclear plant here is because of the time frame. They need the 2012. With a nuclear plant, the process would take longer. Nuclear power plants have not been built for a while because there is a delay in licensing. She stated the balance of this site would be used for supporting functions or facilities for those generating units. 35 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 1: FPL RZ-05-009: MOTION: Ms. Hammer motioned that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend that the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners deny the application of the Florida Power and Light Company for a Change in Zoning from the AG-1 (Agricultural 1du/5acres) Zoning District to the U (Utilities) Zoning District. This motion failed because it did not have a second. Ms. Morgan motioned that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend that the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners grant approval to the application of the Florida Power and Light Company for a Change in Zoning from the AG-5 (Agricultural) Zoning District to the U (Utilities) Zoning District because she feels that this will be a ehensive Plan. Mr. Mundt seconded the motion. The role call was made: Mr. Trias voted for the motion. Mr. Lounds voted for the motion. Mr. Knapp voted for the motion. ve living environment possible through a mixture of land uses reflecting needs and desires of the local residents and how they want their community to develop. The goal shall be implemented by strictly enforcing building, zoning and development codes, based on the resources while minimizing any damage or threat or degradation to the health, safety and Mr. Mundt voted for the motion. 36 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. Ms. Morgan voted for the motion. Chairman McCurdy voted against the motion. 37 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. AGENDA ITEM 2: FPL CU-05-008: MOTION: Ms. Morgan motioned that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommend that the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners grant approval to the application of the Florida Power and Light Company for a Conditional Use permit to allow the operation of a 1700 megawatt electric generation plant in the Utilities Zoning District, subject to all of the conditions that have been entered. Mr. Lounds stated he would second this motion if FPL will address the issues that were brought forth, concerning the railroad conditions, the transmittal lines across private controls that they have requested. Mr. Ferguson stated absolutely. Mr. Lounds seconded the motion. The roll call: Mr. Trias voted for the motion. Mr. Mundt voted for the motion. Mr. Knapp voted for the motion. Ms. Hammer voted against the motion. Mr. Lounds voted for the motion. Ms. Morgan voted for the motion. Chairman McCurdy voted against the motion. These applications will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a recommendation of approval. 38 St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting Minutes Special Meeting September 29, 2005 rd Commission Chambers, 3 Floor, Roger Poitras Annex 6:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT This meeting was adjourned at 12:00 A.M. Respectfully submitted: Approved by: _____________________________ _______________________________ Talea Owens, Sr. Staff Assistant Charles Grande, Chairman 39