Manatee County, Fla.-Faced with a potential multi-million dollar lawsuit, the Manatee County, Fla., County Commission recently voted 5-2 to reverse a decision made last year (GM Sept. 22, p. 10) and approved The Mosaic Co.’s permit to mine the 2,000-plus acre Altman Tract. Before mining can begin on the tract, which will be connected to the Four Corners Mine, it must also be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers. After the county’s rejection last year, Mosaic had the property assessed in excess of $600 million and threatened to file a “taking suit” against the county (GM Oct. 6, p. 13). The county’s attorneys advised the county it could not win the case and advised approving the project. Environmentalists objected to the plan and said it would destroy about 400 acres of high-quality wetlands that feed the Peace River, which provides drinking water to portions of Southwest Florida. Opponents claimed wetlands restoration was not effective, despite Mosaic’s plan. To help gain approval, Mosaic said it would build a fire station and a park in the town of Duette, as well as other public recreational facilities. It will also give $75,000 for a county environmental education center.
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