FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2013
DEP SECRETARY TOURS KEY GULF COAST FACILITIES
~Secretary Herschel Vinyard visits facilities making strides to protect Florida's environment~
 Secretary Vinyard on Wednesday learns about the Military Point Advanced Wastewater Plant in Bay County, a 2012 DEP Plant Operations Excellence Award winner.
TALLAHASSEE –
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard
Jr. conducted a tour of three Gulf Coast facilities on Wednesday. Vinyard visited
the Navy Federal Credit Union, Military Point Advanced Wastewater
Plant and Coyote Disposal Facility to witness first-hand what Department
staff is doing in concert with these sites to benefit these Gulf Coast
communities and protect Florida's natural resources.
Department staff have been
working with these facilities to improve the environment through proper
permitting, regulating and ensuring compliance.
“Seeing these facilities
first-hand shows the work that DEP staff is doing to ensure that the Department’s
stringent environmental standards are being applied to successful businesses
and projects throughout the Panhandle,” Vinyard said.
The Secretary joined Representatives Mike Hill and Clay Ingram to visit the Navy Federal Credit Union, a LEED certified facility distinguished for its innovative building design that reduces energy and costs and operates using other eco-friendly improvements. In January, the Navy Federal Credit Union announced a $200
million expansion to its Pensacola headquarters that will create a minimum of
1,500 new jobs by the end of 2015 and an additional 4,700 jobs by 2020. The
Department has been engaged throughout the permit application process by
working on the design and implementation of the project in order to ensure the
highest degree of environmental protection.
"Navy Federal is a great
partner to State of Florida, bringing hundreds of new jobs to the area and
contributing millions to Escambia County's economy," said Representative Ingram..
The tour continued at the
Military Point Advanced Wastewater Plant in Bay County, which provides
treatment services to Tyndall Air Force Base and Bay County. This facility provides 7 million gallons per day of treatment and
disposal capacity to St. Andrews Bay. For its innovative water treatment practices and conservation solutions, this facility was awarded a 2012 DEP Plant Operations
Excellence Award.
The Secretary
finished the tour at the Coyote Disposal Facility in Panama City. This site was approved in May for a project to remove and dispose of more than
19,300 cubic yards of waste. The Department approved this in-kind project, proposed by
Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. as a joint effort between the state, county
and city to resolve environmental concerns at the site. The pollution
prevention project began June 19.
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