Florida Foresight - Press Room

Press Room

PRESS INFORMATION
For Immediate Release

Contact: Don Lesh, 850/984-0661

REP. WILL KENDRICK CITES BENEFITS
OF BIG BEND SCENIC BYWAY FOR
FRANKLIN & WAKULLA COUNTIES

In remarks at the Wakulla County Visitor Center in Panacea on February 6, Rep. Will Kendrick highlighted the potential benefits of designation of the proposed 248-mile Big Bend Scenic Byway for coastal counties in the Panhandle. This is especially important for Franklin and Wakulla Counties, he noted, where many people are working for sustainable economic development.

The occasion was the presentation of a “Spirit Award” on behalf of the USDA Forest Service to the Wakulla County Tourist Development Council (TDC) in recognition of the “exceptional job that has been done with collaborative partnerships between community groups, the TDC, private citizens, federal, state, and local agencies, Wakulla County Commissioners, and the cities of St. Marks and Sopchoppy.” The Forest Service itself has been a strong proponent of the Scenic Byway as a stimulus to rural economic development in communities adjacent to the Apalachicola National Forest. The “Spirit Award” carries a $5,000 stipend, which will be used to support further efforts on the Byway.

“Most people don’t understand the impact that the Scenic Byway will have,” Kendrick added. Not only does the designation process encourage grassroots involvement and support, he stressed, “It promotes nature-based tourism that allows us to maintain our abundance of natural resources” and also gives rural areas increased priority when seeking grant funding.

Partnership opportunities with state, local, and federal agencies are enhanced, and the expansion of nature tourism brings economic benefits to the local economy. “This allows our communities to continue to be who we are, without a lot of alterations or changes to our resources,” Rep. Kendrick concluded. He promised to continue his personal support of win-win programs like the Scenic Byway.

This “Spirit Award” was one of only three approved in 2002 by the U.S. Forest Service nationally, and the only one in the southeast region of the United States. Mr. Alan Pigg, Regional Supervisor for the USDA Forest Service, traveled from Atlanta to make the presentation.

Ms. Bonnie Holub, Director of the Wakulla County TDC, accepted the award on behalf of the many groups and individuals who had worked for more than a year establishing a foundation of support for the Big Bend Scenic Byway. She explained that the stipend would be applied to the community visioning process in Wakulla County, which is a step toward establishing a long-term citizen “watchdog” group to oversee and manage the resources along the Byway corridor together with local authorities.

Other speakers on February 6 announced that work in support of the Scenic Byway was already well under way in Franklin County as well. Meetings and briefings had been organized for a variety of civic and environmental groups, and endorsements of the Big Bend Scenic Byway had been received to date from the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce, Carrabelle Chamber of Commerce, Apalachicola Bay and Riverkeeper (ABARK), Apalachee Ecological Conservancy (APECO), Carrabelle Lighthouse Association, Camp Gordon Johnston Association, Dixie Theater, Apalachicola Traffic Safety Committee, Julian Bruce State Park on St. George Island, St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, and Lanark Village Citizens Association.

Open public meetings are now being planned for Apalachicola, Carrabelle, and St. George Island, and presentations will eventually be made to the City Councils of Apalachicola and Carrabelle, as well as to the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners, seeking their formal approval and support of Franklin County’s moving ahead with the Byway designation.

A parallel initiative is proceeding in Leon County under the auspices of Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc., with support from the Florida Department of Transportation, which administers the Scenic Byway program.

For further background on the Big Bend Scenic Byway and planned events in Franklin County, contact Diane Delaney or Don Lesh of Applied Sustainability Enterprises by phone on 850/984-0662 or 850/984-0663, respectively, or by mail at P.O. Box 1210, Panacea, FL 32346.