PUBLIC NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE AIR PERMIT
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Northeast District
Draft Air Permit No. 0230062-001-AC
Columbia County Board of County Commissioner, Columbia County Fort White Public Works ACB
Columbia County, Florida
Applicant: The applicant for this project is Columbia County Board of County Commissioners. The applicant’s authorized representative and mailing address is: Kevin Kirby, Assistant County Manager - Operations, Columbia County Board of County Commissioner, Columbia County Fort White Public Works ACB, 607 Northwest Quinten Street, Lake City, Florida 32055.
Facility Location: Columbia County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) proposes to construct a new air curtain incinerator and associated earthen trench at the the new Columbia County Fort White Public Works ACB facility to be located and operated in Columbia County at Parcel Number 33-6S-16-04048-000, southwest of the intersection of Southwest Yulan Street and South 1st Street, in Fort White, Florida. Directions to the site are as follows: From the intersection of FL 47 and US Hwy 27, in Columbia county, proceed south on FL 47 approximately 0.6 miles, the entrance will be on the west side (right). From FL 47, the entrance road is approximately 0.15 miles to the facility.
Project: Columbia County BOCC propose the new Columbia County Fort White Public Works ACB facility that will comprise of a new air curtain incinerator (ACI) and associated earthern trench to burn clean wood waste (excluding sawdust), clean lumber (unpainted, untreated wood), landclearing debris and yard waste. The ACI will be an AirBurners T300 Air Curtain Trench Burner emission unit No. 002 capable of processing up to 10 tons per hour and powered by a 74 horsepower, 4 cylinder diesel engine that is certified US EPA Tier 4F compliant, maximum fuel consumption is rated at 2.7 gallons per hour, and the expected emitted pollutants include particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and volatile organic compounds. The facility will be classified as a minor source of air pollution. Details of the project are provided in the application.
Permitting Authority: Applications for air construction permits are subject to review in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 403, Florida Statutes (F.S.) and Chapters 62-4, 62-210 and 62-212 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). The proposed project is not exempt from air permitting requirements and an air permit is required to perform the proposed work. The Permitting Authority responsible for making a permit determination for this project is the Northeast District Office. The Permitting Authority’s physical address is: 8800 Baymeadows Way West, Suite 100, Jacksonville, Florida 32256. The Permitting Authority’s mailing address is: 8800 Baymeadows Way West, Suite 100, Jacksonville, Florida 32256. The Permitting Authority’s phone number is (904) 256-1700.
Project File: A complete project file is available for public inspection during the normal business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except legal holidays), at the physical address indicated above for the Permitting Authority. The complete project file includes the Draft Permit, the Technical Evaluation and Preliminary Determination, the application and information submitted by the applicant (exclusive of confidential records under Section 403.111, F.S.). Interested persons may contact the Permitting Authority’s project engineer for additional information at the address and phone number listed above. In addition, electronic copies of these documents are available on the following web site: https://fldep.dep.state.fl.us/air/emission/apds/default.asp.
Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit: The Permitting Authority gives notice of its intent to issue an air construction permit to the applicant for the project described above. The applicant has provided reasonable assurance that operation of proposed equipment will not adversely impact air quality and that the project will comply with all appropriate provisions of Chapters 62-4, 62-204, 62-210, 62-212, 62-296 and 62-297, F.A.C. The Permitting Authority will issue a Final Permit in accordance with the conditions of the proposed Draft Permit unless a timely petition for an administrative hearing is filed under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S. or unless public comment received in accordance with this notice results in a different decision or a significant change of terms or conditions.
Comments: The Permitting Authority will accept written comments concerning the proposed Draft Permit for a period of 14 days from the date of publication of the Public Notice. Written comments must be received by the Permitting Authority by close of business (5:00 p.m.) on or before the end of this 14-day period. If written comments received result in a significant change to the Draft Permit, the Permitting Authority shall revise the Draft Permit and require, if applicable, another Public Notice. All comments filed will be made available for public inspection.
Petitions: A person whose substantial interests are affected by the proposed permitting decision may petition for an administrative hearing in accordance with Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S. Petitions filed by any persons other than those entitled to written notice under Section 120.60(3), F.S., must be filed within 14 days of publication of the Public Notice or receipt of a written notice, whichever occurs first. Under Section 120.60(3), F.S., however, any person who asked the Permitting Authority for notice of agency action may file a petition within 14 days of receipt of that notice, regardless of the date of publication. A petitioner shall mail a copy of the petition to the applicant at the address indicated above, at the time of filing. A petition for administrative hearing must contain the information set forth below and must be filed (received) with the Agency Clerk in the Office of General Counsel, 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, MS 35, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000, Agency_Clerk@dep.state.fl.us, before the deadline. The failure of any person to file a petition within the appropriate time period shall constitute a waiver of that person’s right to request an administrative determination (hearing) under Sections 120.569 and 120.57, F.S., or to intervene in this proceeding and participate as a party to it. Any subsequent intervention (in a proceeding initiated by another party) will be only at the approval of the presiding officer upon the filing of a motion in compliance with Rule 28-106.205, F.A.C.
A petition that disputes the material facts on which the Permitting Authority’s action is based must contain the following information: (a) The name and address of each agency affected and each agency’s file or identification number, if known; (b) The name, address, any email address, telephone number and any facsimile number of the petitioner; the name, address any email address, telephone number, and any facsimile number of the petitioner’s representative, if any, which shall be the address for service purposes during the course of the proceeding; and an explanation of how the petitioner’s substantial interests will be affected by the agency determination; (c) A statement of when and how each petitioner received notice of the agency action or proposed decision; (d) A statement of all disputed issues of material fact. If there are none, the petition must so state; (e) A concise statement of the ultimate facts alleged, including the specific facts the petitioner contends warrant reversal or modification of the agency’s proposed action; (f) A statement of the specific rules or statutes the petitioner contends require reversal or modification of the agency’s proposed action including an explanation of how the alleged facts relate to the specific rules or statutes; and, (g) A statement of the relief sought by the petitioner, stating precisely the action the petitioner wishes the agency to take with respect to the agency’s proposed action. A petition that does not dispute the material facts upon which the Permitting Authority’s action is based shall state that no such facts are in dispute and otherwise shall contain the same information as set forth above, as required by Rule 28-106.301, F.A.C.
Because the administrative hearing process is designed to formulate final agency action, the filing of a petition means that the Permitting Authority’s final action may be different from the position taken by it in this Public Notice of Intent to Issue Air Permit. Persons whose substantial interests will be affected by any such final decision of the Permitting Authority on the application have the right to petition to become a party to the proceeding, in accordance with the requirements set forth above.
Extension of Time: Under Rule 62-110.106(4), F.A.C., a person whose substantial interests are affected by the Department’s action may also request an extension of time to file a petition for an administrative hearing. The Department may, for good cause shown, grant the request for an extension of time. Requests for extension of time must be filed with the Office of General Counsel of the Department at 3900 Commonwealth Boulevard, Mail Station 35, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000, or via electronic correspondence at Agency_Clerk@dep.state.fl.us, before the deadline for filing a petition for an administrative hearing. A timely request for extension of time shall toll the running of the time period for filing a petition until the request is acted upon.
Mediation: Mediation is not available in this proceeding.
923028
October 8, 2026
