Manatee commissioners: Less public oversight on phosphate mining, more for stray cats
Manatee County is streamlining the permit process for phosphate mining in a way that takes many of the finer details out of the public eye, to the chagrin of local activists.
County officials cast the unanimous vote Tuesday during a public Manatee County Commission meeting. They also voted to revisit provisions in the county's community cat diversion program that have caused a dicey situation for at least one local family and their neighbors, and to move forward with a safe haven baby box program.
Phosphate mining out of the public eye
Commissioners voted unanimously to defer oversight of permit reviews for phosphate mining operations in Manatee to county staff, rather than require public approval by the board.
Previously, the county required phosphate mining companies with operations in Manatee — currently only The Mosaic Company — to attain approval for a a 25-year mining plan and return to county commissioners publicly every five years for permit review.Mining companies will now only need to return to the board for approval of significant changes to the mining plan; minor changes and five-year permit reviews will be left up to county staff and outside of the public eye.
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Outgoing Manatee County Attorney Bill Clague explained that the board has limited capabilities during the permit review process, which has led to clashes of opinion with the public and former board members.
"Many, many times I've sat up here when operating permits came before the board, and I've had to advise the board that your discretion to turn them down is extremely limited because the only issue in front of you is whether that operating permit is consistent or inconsistent with the master mine planning code," Clague said. "It's not a re-evaluation of the mine. That creates a lot of tension sometimes with the public that's in the room, raising issues about phosphate mining that you can't do anything about in the context of an operating permit."
Still, Manasota-88 Chairman Glenn Compton said that Manatee County should err on the side of caution and limit the amount of applications for review that can be submitted at a time. Manasota-88 is an environmental advocacy organization that has advocated for proper government oversight on fertilizer production operations.
"Manatee County’s local rules governing phosphate mining strongly favor the phosphate industry," Compton told the Herald-Tribune. "It represents a short-sighted and narrow approach to reviewing the impacts of phosphate mining. It is a piecemeal approach that does not adequately address the cumulative and secondary environmental impacts of strip mining in Manatee County and the surrounding areas.
"It is important to have a strong mining ordinance on the books before additional mining begins," he said. "It is far better to err on overprotecting the public and the environment rather than the reverse. There is no sound reason to not adopt a stringent phosphate mining ordinance; the public needs the protection it provides."
A representative from The Mosaic Company declined to comment. The company was not present at Tuesday's meeting.
Community cats at large
Commissioners are reviewing specific passages in Manatee County's community cat diversion program that is causing a major headache for a local family.
The county operates a working cat program for strays that are not suitable as house pets, where they are put to work at local businesses and warehouses to deter vermin.
There are provisions that allow local residents to humanely trap stray dogs and cats and take them to the animal shelter, except for any "community" cats, and that exception has led to problems for local residents like Lauren Van Bussum who live near a colony of them.
"My primary concern revolves around the consistent presence of unwanted cat feces on my lawn, which not only cause a health hazard but also makes it challenging for my family to enjoy our outdoor space," Van Bussum said.
"The incessant barking of my dog triggered by the feline intruders on my property day and night has become a source of distress for both my family and our neighbors," she said. "Furthermore the issue extends to our porch and patio areas, which have become unusable due to the spraying and scent marking from cats in the vicinity. This not only affects our daily lives, but also necessitates constant cleaning and sanitation to maintain a semblance of hygiene."
Commissioner Amanda Ballard introduced the proposal on Tuesday, and made a motion to direct staff to review troublesome provisions in the community cat diversion program.
"These cats have rights that are well beyond any other pet or animal within the county, and they're causing a whole lot of quality of life issues for the human beings who live and work in our community," Ballard said. "There are apparently a lot, a lot of cats, that people are dealing with. Like colonies of dozens of cats that are coming on to people's property, using the restroom, spraying, doing all kinds of nefarious cat-like things.
"Everybody is kind of laughing a little bit, but imagine living next door to this ... and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it," she said.
Baby boxes
Commissioner James Satcher — who once proposed a ban on abortion clinics in Manatee County — has proposed a new program to install safe haven baby boxes at county emergency medical services stations.
Commissioners voted unanimously to direct county staff to create the program and present it to the board for future approval, despite some concern about the liability of caring for the children. Satcher also recommended adding surrender provisions to the county's list of future legislative priority recommendations for the state.
"If we allow someone to place a baby into one of these boxes, and don't have the proper programming set up, protocols to actually care for this baby immediately and get this baby to where it needs to go, that makes me extremely nervous both for liability purposes and the welfare of the child who is being placed in one of these boxes," Ballard said.
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Satcher did not comment in support of the effort beyond making the motion, and stating that county staff would present details such as cost and locations at a future meeting. Commissioner George Kruse did respond to questions and concerns from other commissioners.
"It's not unfounded, but I also think we're trying to protect children and if the option is for a mother who is in distress to abandon their baby behind a dumpster or abandon it at an EMS or fire station, that's a liability risk that I am willing to take," Kruse said.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee commission votes to delegate some phosphate mining decisions
