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A California company wants to build a TA Travel Plaza at U.S. 19 and Nash Road.(WCTV)<\/p>\nJEFFERSON COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) – It\u2019s a fun fact many Monticello residents enjoy sharing when out-of-towners pay a visit. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the only county in the state that doesn\u2019t have a red light, and people are shocked,\u201d said Tammy Brookins.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s a local mom who is now speaking out against a proposed truck stop that would put an end to that claim to fame. <\/p>\n
\u201cHaving no traffic lights from the Georgia border to the Gulf of Mexico and the entire county is one of our, like, sort of sacred mores, one of our greatest traditions,\u201d she shared. <\/p>\n
California-based Solero Land Company has applied to build a TA Travel Plaza at U.S 19 and Nash Road, just south of I-10. <\/p>\n
A California company wants to build a TA Travel Plaza at U.S. 19 and Nash Road.(WCTV)<\/p>\n
The proposal calls for a convenience store, a truck maintenance center, 66 parking spots for cars and 16 spots for semi trucks.<\/p>\n
An earlier proposal from Solero called for a much larger development with enough parking spots for 126 semi-trucks. <\/p>\n
The Jefferson Board of County Commissioners denied that application in February 2025. Solero returned to the county earlier this year with the scaled-down proposal. <\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully that helps some of the citizens feel a little better,\u201d County Manager Shannon Metty told WCTV after a March commission meeting. \u201cI understand that the development there maybe isn\u2019t necessarily wanted by everybody, but a person has personal property rights, whether they\u2019re commercial or residential. So, I feel like at that point, we can only do as much as our code and state law allows.\u201d <\/p>\n
Carly Peary said she lives a mile from the proposed site. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe can see every star in the sky at my house at night and that\u2019s not going to be the case anymore,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Peary thought she had won the fight after the initial proposal was defeated. But with this new development, all her worst fears are back on the table. <\/p>\n
\u201cA stoplight is a tragedy for this county,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a symbol, you know, and once you give it up, there\u2019s no stopping. I\u2019m not against progress. I\u2019m against progress for progress\u2019s sake.\u201d<\/p>\n
More News out of the Big Bend<\/p>\n
Solero recently held a public informational meeting in Monticello to address their plans. Peary, who attended the meeting, came away unimpressed. <\/p>\n
According to Peary, a representative for the company explained that they never intended to install a traffic light at the truck stop, but the Florida Department of Transportation requires it. <\/p>\n
A spokesperson for FDOT told WCTV in a statement that the agency \u201creviewed this matter and has issued the applicable permit based on its statutory authority and access management regulations.\u201d <\/p>\n
Peary reached out to FDOT to get crash data statistics for the intersection in question. According to data shared with her, there have been about two dozen crashes there in the last decade, most of them minor. <\/p>\n
This current proposal is considered a minor development, meaning there won\u2019t be a hearing in front of the planning and zoning board about it. <\/p>\n
Instead, the planning director must make a decision on the matter before a May deadline. <\/p>\n
In the meantime, Solero is challenging the denial of the larger development in court. <\/p>\n
One question keeps Peary up at night. If they win in court, would Solero still go through with the smaller development? <\/p>\n
She said an attorney representing the company couldn\u2019t answer that question at the recent info meeting. That same attorney told WCTV Solero declined to comment on this story. <\/p>\n
An email and a call to Jefferson County Planning Director David Wheeler also went unanswered. <\/p>\n
For the group of concerned citizens, they\u2019re not sure what the next steps will look like, but they want to keep up the fight. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a business that we need,” Brookins said. \u201cThere\u2019s already five gas stations right there. We don\u2019t need that as a community. It\u2019s just somebody wanting to put it there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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