Bradenton, Fla.-After seven years and approvals of its permit and mining plan by all other federal, state, and regional authorities, the Manatee County, Fla., Commission voted 4-3 to deny The Mosaic Co. the final authority to mine the Altman Tract. Mosaic spokesman David Townsend said the company would sue unless the county reverses its decision. “The vote Tuesday (Sept. 16) was not a surprise,” Townsend said. “It went along predictable lines, 4-3, so it was close.” He added that two of those who voted against the company’s plan had already been defeated in the primaries and soon will be off the Commission. The Altman Tract amounted to 2,048 total acres, of which Mosaic planned to mine 1,409 acres. The tract was to become a part of the Four Corners Mine, which amounts to about 50,000 acres in parts of four counties. Commissioners voted against the plan out of fear that sensitive wetlands would be destroyed and could not be restored. Townsend said the county’s move amounted to a “taking” and that Mosaic would seek damages under the Bert J. Harris Property Rights Protection Act. Once the company officially notifies the county in a letter, it will have 90 days to file the suit. Although a newspaper article said the property and its phosphate deposits were worth approximately $400 million, Mosaic hired a Jacksonville real estate firm to determine a price, which will be difficult. The last sale of mine property was made by Mosaic with the purchase of the Wingate Creek Mine, but the price of phosphate has increased significantly since.
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