GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A group of pilots spoke against an approved rezoning from last summer and a proposed development near Haller Airpark at Tuesday night’s Board of County Commissioners meeting.

Haller Airpark is about seven miles south of Green Cove Springs. Joe Tierney and others affiliated with the airpark, several of whom said they used to fly for the military or commercially, opposed a potential development of 550 RV spaces and other amenities to support an RV resort. It was approved last August by the Planning Commission. The speakers felt local residents and pilots were not properly noticed.

Tierney said most accidents occur near a runway. He said the rezoning of a 95.23-acre property next to the airpark didn’t mention an operating airport about 600 feet south of it. “If Haller were a public airport, we would not be discussing a high-density trailer park at the end of the runway,” Tierney said. “It would not be allowed by Florida law.”

Patrick Lee said he had 25,000 hours of flight time over 50 years. For the notification of nearby property owners, he said there was a sign hidden on the highway. He mentioned several local airplane crashes, stating the difference was that there were no homes around the incidents.

“No property was damaged around any of them,” he said.

David Vanderbilt said every time he takes off, he passes over the future development. He asked which structure was there first. David Dollarhide asked where the notice was and said the airpark’s users were worried about nearby density.

Dennis Gillespie said one thing that matters is safety and during takeoff, pilots passed over the development at about 180 feet of elevation, which he said is dangerous. He called for a detailed analysis of the rezoning.

“I have personally seen aircraft crash ashore, at sea. I’ve gone out and looked at the bodies and the burned airplanes,” Gillespie said. “It’s unsatisfactory that the importance of the safety of citizens on the ground is being completely overlooked in this case.”

County Attorney Courtney Grimm said the nearby properties were properly noticed. Later in the meeting, Economic and Development Services Director Chereese Stewart said if plans meet the county’s code they will be approved.

Commissioner Mike Cella cautioned against calling the proposed development a trailer park because resort-style RVs cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and said cooperation was vital for property owners to coexist. He later said property rights and home values were also factors.

“Let’s keep it on the central issue, which you think is safety, and see if we can’t solve it in that fashion,” Cella told the speakers.

BCC Chairman Wayne Bolla mentioned the dais had two retired pilots on it, in the form of Commissioner Jim Renninger and County Manager Howard Wanamaker.

Wanamaker said the county is consulting the state and aviation experts to find a solution. Renninger said the county has met with numerous parties involved and they are trying to get to the bottom of it.

Renninger called the issue complex. He said airparks and safety on the ground are not adequately addressed by the county and that needs to be rectified.

“I’m telling you this, my last chapter of this incident has not been written yet,” Renninger said.

Later in the meeting, commissioners continued the discussion. Commissioner Kristen Burke asked for representatives from the developer to speak to give clarity on the issue. She asked why Federal Aviation Administration input was absent from reports.

“Now that we know it, we can’t just sit back,” she said.

In other business, the BCC unanimously approved a resolution brought by the Charter Review Committee to add three ballot questions for voters this November which included potentially giving commissioners a cost-of-living adjustment, removing term limits for the county’s five constitutional officers and allowing the committee to meet every eight years rather than every four years.