Pitching Opportunity Park
Economic Development Council, N.G. Wade and partners hold a luncheon to promote commercial development at the site
About 100 people attended a luncheon on Wednesday, April 12, at SunBlest plant nursery, which is located near Opportunity Park. to hear from Wakulla officials on development. Caleb Wingerden of SunBlest addresses the crowd.
By WILLIAM SNOWDEN Editor
About 100 people attended a luncheon at SunBlest Gardens to hear about development opportunities at Opportunity Park, Wakulla’s indistural development site in the northeast corner of the county.
The event was organized by the Economic Development Council and focused on commercial realtors from Tallahassee, though numerous local realtors also attended.
Speakers included Rich Exline, vice president of NG Wade, which owns Opportunity Park. Exline said he is ready to negotiate to sell some property.
County Administrator David Edwards said Wakulla County has cut through the red tape for commercial growth and said the county is “pro-development.”
Edwards listed off a string of amenities offered in Wakulla County: millage is relatively low at 8.2 mills; new $150 million infrastructure improvements, especially sewage is in the works; work on renovating the golf course; improvements to parks and boat ramps; and a bike trail in which people can go from the Capitol to Mashes Sands and go on to Sopchoppy. “We’re doing it without breaking the bank,” Edwards said.
He also noted that Wakulla’s main industry is home building, acknowledging that some people don’t like to hear that. Some locations have been stymied by a lack of housing, but Edwards noted Wakulla produces about 500 homes a year and has plenty of inventory.
At the same time, with 68% of the county as public lands, it means only some 30% can be developed, he said.
Edwards added that schools, tourism and aquaculture are important in the county – as is Opportunity Park.
Susan Payne Turner of Prime Meridian Bank which provided lunch noted how much has changed since the project first began when she was president of the Chamber of Commerce: Ted and Thelma Gaupin, two main drivers of Opportunity Park, are gone, along with former NG Wade President Sandy McDaniel.
