Environmental Justice, Sylvania Heights and WE Combs Community

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Environmental Justice, Sylvania Heights and WE Combs Community The Lovejoy community faces a number of environmental issues. The community needs action now.

Sylvania Heights and WE Combs, a designated Front Porch Florida Community, Brownfield area, and Opportunity Zone.The designations are a community revitalization and development initiative used as a means to rebuild distressed and underserved communities. Located immediately adjacent to the residential neighborhood are an industrial park and several manufacturing and waste management sites. Because

the community suffers from nonexistent or inadequate stormwater facilities, heavy floodwaters wash through adjacent contaminated industrial areas and carry pollutants through residential neighborhoods, where floodwaters ultimately collect and settle. The lack of an adequate stormwater system also causes severe flooding of the bordering Gap Creek which, when it overflows, presents a threat to both the health and property of the Lovejoy residents. It has become obvious in the Lovejoy community that a whole host of environmental issues exist, some of which have not been fully discovered or investigated. Some of those issues include alleged former dumpsites being used as stormwater retention ponds, former contaminated landfills further polluting stormwater runoff and perhaps the residential community, and neighboring sites known to have leaked petroleum or other harmful chemicals into the neighborhood and stormwater system. In addition to these very substantial environmental issues, the community also faces abandoned or substandard housing and other problems.Under a grant and partnership with Florida A&M University, the GSHFP and WildLaw initiated a community health assessment study working with an intern from FAMU who has a public health education and background. The purpose of this assessment was to assist in determining the specific health and environmental issues facing the community. As evidenced by these and other surveys, the community is suffering from an alarmingly high cancer rate, and other very serious health problems.

Garniers Beach Park. The water quality at this locations did not meet the recreational standards for Enterococcus bacter...
27/01/2026

Garniers Beach Park. The water quality at this locations did not meet the recreational standards for Enterococcus bacteria set by FDOH.

DOH-Okaloosa officials advise the public against any water-related activities at both locations due to "an increased risk of illness in swimmers." The water quality test, done during a regular water quality test, showed that the level of bacteria exceeded state guidelines.

DOH-Okaloosa officials say the advisory will be in effect until bacteria levels are below the accepted health level.

The University of Florida Sea Grant program is working with local municipalities. Estuary programs, and communities for ...
27/01/2026

The University of Florida Sea Grant program is working with local municipalities. Estuary programs, and communities for the selection of sites in a 7-county area in the Florida Panhandle for the placement of water level sensors. The water level sensors are being installed by the Florida Atlantic University through funding support by the Southeast Water Level Network. The water level sensors can help “to identify current and projected flood susceptibility hotspots based upon precipitation-based flooding,” as well as “customizing a notification system for those that want alerts when the flooding threshold is exceeded, i.e., when the roads start to flood. This information can help local citizens, emergency managers, and the overall safety and resilience of the community.”
The University of Florida Sea Grant Community Engagement Specialist is working to identify and confirm sites based on watershed, geographic location, and accessibility for installation. The 7-counties include Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, and Franklin.
The information gathered from the water level sensors will allow communities to identify and begin planning future mitigation and adaptation projects, meet current management plan goals, and potentially be used to secure funding through grants and other programs to address existing flooding issues and potential flooding issues. Water level sensors sit above the water and measure the distance from the water to the sensor. The height of the water is collected and relayed in real-time for access on your phone, at home, or in the office.

The Combs New Heights water level sensor

05/09/2025

The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County (DOH-Okaloosa) has issued a water quality advisory for the following location:

Garniers Beach Park
257 Beachview Dr. NE
Fort Walton Beach, FL

Tests completed on Tuesday, September 2 indicates that the water quality at Garniers Beach Park does not meet the recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria recommended by the Florida Department of Health.
Test results are available at:

FloridaHealth.gov/HealthyBeaches.

For more information call 850-833-9247 visit Okaloosa.FloridaHealth.gov.

There's no mention of the Gap Creek project to assess the WE Combs community from Hill Street to Bay Street located in t...
13/08/2025

There's no mention of the Gap Creek project to assess the WE Combs community from Hill Street to Bay Street located in the city limits of Fort Walton Beach, a area that faces significant flooding and pollution issues due to inadequate stormwater infrastructure particularly in areas like WE Combs and Sylvania Heights. These issues stem from a combination of aging infrastructure, lack of stormwater mitigation, and increased development in surrounding areas. The Gap Creek, which flows through both city and county land, is a source of contaminated floodwaters that affect residential areas and potentially impact water quality in Cinco Bayou.

08/04/2024
A lost neighborhood': Residents seek action on decades of flooding and contamination EEnvironmental Justice, Sylvania He...
31/03/2024

A lost neighborhood': Residents seek action on decades of flooding and contamination EEnvironmental Justice, Sylvania Heights and WE Combs Community

Residents in Sylvania Heights have been advocating for improvements to “inadequate” stormwater facilities for decades with seemingly little change.

Sylvania Heights and WE Combs Community Same problem no solutions 2024 Well testing
18/01/2024

Sylvania Heights and WE Combs Community
Same problem no solutions
2024 Well testing

Sylvania Heights: Ground water monitoring Wells being installed in the Sylvania Heights community November 2022. Why????
20/11/2022

Sylvania Heights: Ground water monitoring Wells being installed in the Sylvania Heights community November 2022. Why????

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