Martin County commissioners on Dec. 9 voted to receive and file the staff report on a proposed Brownfield designation for a roughly 19.5-acre parcel at 9450 Southeast Gomez Avenue in Hobe Sound and scheduled a second public hearing for Jan. 6, 2026.

Jenna Nobby, senior planner with Growth Management, said the application — by The Palms of Hobe Sound LLC and Oasis Development LLC — requests a Brownfield designation for a former flower nursery. Nobby told the board the parcel’s future land use is residential estate and that a minor site plan for 38 single-family units is currently under review. Staff described the Brownfield process under Florida law (including public notice, property posting and the requirement that at least one hearing be held after 5 p.m. unless a supermajority elects otherwise).

Applicant counsel Michael Schonpsthaler (identification as recorded) and environmental consultants told the board they have conducted assessment work and that primary constituents of concern identified to date include pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and arsenic. The applicant said additional groundwater sampling is needed to define the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination and that the site would enter a DEP voluntary cleanup framework if designated.

Neighbors who live adjacent to the property urged caution. Resident Mary Gavin described longstanding concerns with contamination on the parcel, recounted family health worries related to arsenic exposure and questioned whether nearby residents had been adequately notified. Gavin also raised the personal background of one listed owner and urged the board to require stronger proof of funds for remediation. The applicant’s attorney said the applicant has provided assessment reports and a letter asserting available funds for rehabilitation, and offered to provide additional financial documentation before the Jan. 6 hearing.

Commissioners asked technical questions about monitoring timing (staff and the applicant said groundwater monitoring and source-removal planning occur before removal and will be reviewed by DEP), whether contractors can withdraw if remediation costs escalate (applicant said termination of a voluntary cleanup would expose the party to DEP enforcement), and how tax-credit incentives can offset cleanup costs. The applicant indicated a cleanup budget around $1 million in submitted materials but acknowledged the number could change once additional sampling is complete.

The board unanimously voted to receive the agenda item and attachments into the record and directed staff and the applicant to bring additional financial documentation and clarifications to the follow-up hearing on Jan. 6. Commissioners debated whether the Jan. 6 hearing should be scheduled after 5 p.m. to maximize public attendance and requested clearer evidence of neighborhood notification in advance of that meeting.

The Brownfield program (administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection) provides a regulatory path for voluntary cleanup and offers state incentives tied to demonstrated cleanup expenditures. If the board designates the area and the applicant enters a site rehabilitation agreement with DEP, the work will follow DEP’s technical requirements for assessment, source removal, reporting and post-remedial groundwater monitoring.