Land use to be discussed

The Tri-County Small Area Studies will be discussed at three public meetings in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties during the week. The study, a joint venture of three counties and Eglin Air Force Base commissioned in 2011, deals with encroachment issues affecting Northwest Florida's military bases. It's a supplement to the Eglin Joint Land Use Study, published in 2009, which noted that encroachment -- civilian development around bases -- remained a serious issue. The idea behind the study is to balance the needs of the military mission with civilian development. (Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, 08/18/12)