Ormond Beach says it will fight proposed fuel tank farm

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - People packed into an Ormond Beach city meeting to speak out against a proposed fuel tank farm near their neighborhoods. City commissioners agree with them, voting on Wednesday to not allow the facility to use city water if it's built.

Before the meeting, people lined the streets carrying signs saying "dump the fuel dump."

"Not in the middle of all these communities and all these homes and all these businesses," said Karen Szemborski. "We live less than a mile from this nightmare."

In a wooded area off Hull Road in Volusia County, Belvedere Terminals would like to build an above-ground fuel tank farm and loading bays for trucks and train cars.

A permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection says there will be 16 storage tanks holding gas, ethanol, diesel, and propane.

People who live nearby are worried about traffic, air quality, home values, or some kind of accident happening.

"We were completely blindsided by it," said Elena Krafft who lives nearby. "We had no idea it was coming. We’ve all been actively trying to stop it since."

The company says it's one of several large facilities they plan to build in Florida, saying the project would help Florida's fuel supply chain and make gas more accessible during hurricanes.

"We understand there’s a need for fuel independence, especially in Florida," Krafft said. "We understand that. We just don’t think it should be so close to neighborhoods,

The site is in Volusia County, not the city. The county tells FOX 35 the company hasn't filed for any permits from them yet.

The project is still in an early stage, but the land does have the right zoning to build a tank farm.