Florida Community Stories
RiverCamps on Crooked Creek is a 1,500-acre woodland preserve located in West Bay, Florida near Panama City Beach, and developed by The St. Joe Company. RiverCamps is unique in that the project is being developed from its inception with wildland fire safety in mind. Complex, in-depth Firewise planning before the first home is built will make RiverCamps an exceptional community in northwest Florida.
RiverCamps is truly an extraordinary place. With fewer than 450 homes planned,
RiverCamps is a Firewise community where families can live close to nature
and rediscover natural beauty and a simpler way of life.
Planning for fuel mitigation in RiverCamps began several years ago while the project was in its very early stages and before a single home was built. In a cooperative effort between the Florida Division of Forestry (DOF) and The St. Joe Company, an extensive mitigation plan was developed.
As RiverCamps on Crooked Creek continues its development phase, Firewise plans for design, construction and landscaping will be integrated into the site plans. Wildland fuels will be aggressively thinned while maintaining their natural beauty throughout the preserve. In addition, homeowners will enjoy multiple access roads, underground utilities, fire hydrants every 1,000 feet, home sites designed with a protective buffer zone of defensible space and fire resistant construction materials.
The Firewise Board recognizes that three factors are necessary to increase the probability that their community can withstand and survive a major wildfire.
*Information and education
*Continued fuel mitigation (either mechanically or with prescribed fire treatment)
*Community integration of Firewise principles, with emphasis on defensible space
DOF will continue to consult with RiverCamps’ land managers on future mitigation projects and coordinate an annual Firewise project. In addition, the Florida DOF will regularly offer workshops and information and education programs for homeowners.
For more information about RiverCamps, visit http://www.rivercamps.com/PreviewCenter.
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