The Mosaic Co. has offered a new fire station and a 70-acre park to the community of Duette, Fla., if Manatee County approves the company’s request to mine an additional 2,000-plus acres, which would be an extension of its approximately 50,000-acre Four Corners Mine. Even if the company does not receive approval it will still donate the land for the park, although the improvements would probably not be as extensive, according to Mosaic spokesman David Townsend. However, there were some conflicts with the proposal.
One problem was that the county does not have the money in its budget to maintain the proposed park, and Mosaic will not provide funds for that purpose. Townsend said the money to maintain the park would qualify to be taken from the severance tax the company pays for each ton extracted. He said currently there were several million dollars unspent in that account.
In addition, the county’s environmental staff has recommended rejecting the request because of damage that would result to 300-plus acres of natural wetlands. Also, the mining would take place next to 438 acres of wetlands the county has just finished restoring. Although the company plans to restore more wetlands than it destroys, county officials were dubious the artificial wetlands would effectively replace what will be lost.
Mosaic will present evidence at upcoming hearings from experts hired by the company to counter that argument. The county and others also fear the mining would affect the water quality of the Peace River, which supplies drinking water for rapidly growing Southwest Florida. Townsend said three judges from the state Division of Administrative Hearings have determined there would be no significant impact on water quality or quantity from mining. He also pointed out that the project has received approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and from the local water supply authority, and Charlotte County has dropped its opposition.
The community appeared to favor the deal, because it cannot afford to build the $1 million park or the $500,000 fire station. The newspaper quoted the local fire chief, who said the area would not be able to afford to build the new station for several more years. The district’s tax collections for the fire department amount to only $150,000 a year. The current fire station has only used trucks and no living space for a full-time unit of firefighters. Townsend said the current station has only a roof on poles, “more like a carport, and is a significant need for the community.”
Such deals have been done in the past in the case of a home developer and others. Townsend said it was normal to offer extra benefits for projects in the home communities where mining takes place. He added it was not a substitute for the regulatory requirements, which he said the project has already met.
The county’s planning commission will review the request on Sept. 20; the Manatee County Commission will vote sometime in November.