Protecting Our Community,
Preserving Our Future
UNITED AGAINST ETHANOL MANUFACTURING IN FERNANDINA BEACH
Share on Social:
Status of Proposed Ethanol Plant Approval
RYAM filed a complaint against the City of Fernandina Beach on February 28, 2025, alleging the City's denial of its plans to build an ethanol manufacturing plant are unauthorized.
The lawsuit, filed in the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, petitions the court for injunctive relief declaring its application to be complete, enjoining the City from denying it based on an improper use, and requiring the City to send its application to the City's Technical Review Committee for a compliance review. In addition, RYAM asked for nearly $4M in legal fees / damages.
While we continue to review RYAM’s filing and consult with our highly experienced land use law firm, our early read is that RYAM is trying to intimidate the City into reversing its decision that their ethanol manufacturing plant proposal is prohibited by our City's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code.
​
Fernandina Wins, Inc. DBA No Ethanol Fernandina will continue to monitor these developments, and through consultation with our land use attorneys, be prepared to act if and when warranted.
​
Our Concern
RYAM's proposed facility would produce 7.5 million gallons of ethanol a year.
The location is adjacent to a densely populated area within the City of Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island and situated along the environmentally sensitive Amelia River.
Ethanol is a highly flammable hazardous chemical that carries substantial risk of accidental fires and explosions.
​
What’s more, chemical manufacturing and refining is prohibited by the Fernandina Beach Comprehensive Plan (CP) and Land Development Code (LDC).
​
RYAM's application asserts that its ethanol production would not use either chemical processes or refining processes and therefore should be allowed.
A group of concerned citizens organized Fernandina Wins, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation DBA No Ethanol Fernandina, to advocate against the facility’s construction.
What you can do
​
Write a Letter to the Editor:
​
Follow us on our official Facebook page