Florida fuel tank farm proposed by St. Pete company concerns residents living near suggested site

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A St. Petersburg-based fuel company must look elsewhere for utilities at the planned site of a new fuel terminal in Ormond Beach after city commissioners on Wednesday voted against allowing the proposed facility to use city water if built. 

People packed into the meeting, using the public comment period to rail against the proposed fuel tank farm near their neighborhoods. Before the meeting, people lined the streets carrying signs saying, "dump the fuel dump."

"Not in the middle of all these communities and all these homes and all these businesses," said Karen Szemborski. "We live less than a mile from this nightmare."

Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Belvedere Terminals wants to build an above-ground fuel tank farm and loading bays for trucks and train cars near a wooded area off Hull Road in Volusia County. 

Belvedere Terminals President Edwin Cothron said the new system would "use state-of-the-art railcars and sites that will set new industry standards for operational safety. 

The company has two other initial sites planned for Jacksonville and Ft. Pierce, with seven additional locations to be developed in the state over the next five years. Belvedere said the project would help improve Florida's fuel supply chain and make gas more accessible during hurricanes.

In a Tuesday announcement, Belvedere Terminals President Edwin Cothron said the new system would "use state-of-the-art railcars and sites that will set new industry standards for operational safety. This new system for fuel delivery will help lower gas prices for consumers and offer a safer and more dependable method for getting fuel into the state that is not subject to port shutdowns when a hurricane forms."

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Cothron went on to say the company was in communication with Florida state leaders and were hopeful that the project would benefit Floridians by "taking some fuel deliveries off of Florida's unique and fragile waterways while strengthening the supply chain for fuel."

Map of Florida with locations of proposed fuel farms. 

A permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection says the Ormond Beach site would include 16 storage tanks holding gas, ethanol, diesel, and propane. People who live nearby are worried about traffic, air quality, home values, or some kind of accident happening.

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"We were completely blindsided by it," said Elena Krafft who lives nearby. "We had no idea it was coming. We’ve all been actively trying to stop it since." Kraft said that while she understood the need for fuel independence in Florida, "we just don't think it should be so close to neighborhoods."

A group of protesters gathered at the site of a proposed Florida fuel farm. 

The site in question is in Volusia County, not the city. The county told FOX 35 Orlando that the company had not yet filed for any permits with them. The project is still in an early stage, but the land does have the right zoning to build a tank farm.

Belvedere Terminals Chief Operating Officer Mike Benedetto told FOX 13, "We are reviewing the action taken last (Wednesday) night."