Developer with questionable history seeking to rezone 600 acres in Pace

When William "Bill" Lewis originally went to the Santa Rosa County Zoning Board looking to develop nearly 600 acres of land off Wallace Lake Road near the Escambia River, he offered a plan to build 100 to 150 new homes.

Between Nov. 9, 2023 when that request was made, and Thursday, when Lewis is slated to appear before the Santa Rosa County Commission seeking the same rezoning, he has amended his request a handful of times. This week he said, "I'm not planning on doing nothing."

He said he wants to keep the parcel, much of it wetlands, for his daughters. He wants to hold onto it and raise cattle and timber. Lewis also said that with the agricultural estate residential zoning he is seeking, he might someday be able to sell some 5-plus acre lots along the roadway for residential development.

But as County Commissioner James Calkins pointed out when Lewis went before the board in December requesting it overturn the Zoning Board's rejection of his rezoning request, there are flooding issues on Wallace Lake Road, and further home construction along it could exacerbate existing problems.

"It is a big mess that we are trying to fix, and I have inherited this as District 3 commissioner," Calkins said.

In the area Lewis wants to have rezoned, county Planning Director Shawn Ward told the commission, the required elevation in order to build homes is 27 feet above sea level.

Lewis countered by telling the board at least some of the land is already at 22 feet above sea level. He also said he lives in the Wallace Lake Road area and his home didn't flood even when Hurricane Sally dropped more than two feet of rain on the county.

"Flooding is really a non-issue," he said.

Brian Dunn, another Wallace Lake Road resident, would adamantly disagree, and he blames Lewis specifically for creating the flooding that since 2020 has afflicted him and his neighbors.

In an email sent to Calkins following the commissioner's election, Dunn argued Lewis had hoodwinked the county and created the drainage issues on Wallace Lake Road. He claims that Lewis flaunted two county zoning provisions that allowed him to get around permitting for "roads, drainage, or any other subdivision requirements."

The policies in question were known as the Parent Parcel and Family Homestead provisions.

Under parent parcel provisions, a lot can be subdivided up to three times without meeting required road frontage.

The family homestead provision allowed for a parcel of land to be divided, basically, to accommodate a landowner's desire to share their property with a member of his or her immediate family. The provision actually spelled out that family members should consist of spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, stepchild, grandchild, or grandparent.

Lewis confirmed Tuesday that he had indeed used both the parent parcel and family homestead provision when developing his North Diamond Estates subdivision, from which Dunn claims the lion's share of runoff enters his property and causes sediment from his property to impact the yards of neighbors and a nearby creek.

"Everything I've done was based on the rules of Santa Rosa County," Lewis said.

At the December County Commission meeting at which his zoning request was ultimately tabled, Lewis referred to Dunn as "a pain in the side."

Dunn, however, claims that only one of the 21 lots developed in North Diamond Estates meets the specifications of the family homestead provision.

Ward said the parent parcel and family homestead provision were removed from the Land Development Code by the county because developers, including Lewis, had exploited them to develop subdivisions without paying recording fees or for engineering design work and the costs of storm water retention.

Ward said Planning Department staff had no way to legally enforce the misuse of the provisions.

The provisions have since been designated conditional uses and to utilize them an applicant is required to file an affidavit. Public hearings are required and permission must be granted from the Zoning Board and County Commission.

Lewis also ran afoul of the Northwest Florida Water Management District in his construction of North Diamond Estates. Investigators found he had installed more than 4,000-square-feet of impervious surface area to allow for vehicle traffic without obtaining a required Environmental Resource Permit.

It was also discovered Lewis's company also was allowing turbid water to leave the development site.

A cease-and-desist order was issued in 2020 when the violations were found, and Lewis was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and obtain the required ERP.

Calkins said on Tuesday that he has yet to review the agenda items that will come before the Board of County Commissioners Thursday night, but he recalled issues raised by Dunn and questions being asked about Lewis's credibility.

"There's a lot of concern. I have heard things, that the gentleman has made promises that weren't kept," he said. "I have heard some stories. I care about what's going on and whether someone's trying to pull a switcheroo on us. I don't want to make a decision that is negative for the area. I have to be careful."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Developer questions could negatively impact Pace area rezoning request