Yesterday’s decision by the Santa Rosa County Commission may feel like a win for those wary of growth—but it’s a loss for our future generations. By adding even more restrictive regulations, beyond what the Land Development Task Force recommended, the County Commission has made it significantly harder for middle-income families to find a place to live here.
These changes don’t meaningfully improve safety or quality, but they do increase costs, reduce housing options, and make it tougher for local tradespeople and small builders to earn a living, and, ultimately, those costs will get passed along to new home buyers: young families in particular will be hurt.
We all love the character of Santa Rosa County—but preserving it shouldn’t mean shutting the door on these young families or teachers, first responders, and future residents who want to call this place home…