FORT DENAUD, Fla — ’Say No To Mining’ signs lined CR-78 near Alva, as neighbors there pushed back against a proposed rezoning of a property for mining.
As Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, I work in this area every day, so I talked to people there about why they’re rallying against the mining rezoning, and what it means for their community.
Watch my report here...
Dump trucks whooshed by on CR-78 - it’s exactly what Alexander Menkes doesn’t want in his neighborhood. Living off CR-78, Menkes fears how the trucks would affect road quality and the safety of kids near Alva School - where 150 trucks would pass daily if rezoning got approved.
“I can tell you, trucks such as this - 225,000 of them over five years - is going to challenge an already stressed road,” said Menkes.
But his biggest concern? The trucks would cut through where Menkes has seen panthers. According to FWC, 90% of endangered Florida panther deaths are caused by vehicles.
“I actually saw one in my back yard, and I feel so fortunate to even see this majestic creature have a chance on the north side of the river, or at all,” sand Menkes.
I reached out to the owners of the land up for rezoning - R & R Harvesting. They said they want to remove ‘spoil material’ to use the 273 acre property for watermelon farming. They say they’ve worked with the community by adjusting truck hours until after school starts and cutting trips from 400 to 150 per day.
But, neighbors like Menkes said it’s not enough, and spoke out at Tuesday’s Hendry County Commissioners Meeting.
“Would one of your children or grandchildren survive being ran over by a distracted dump truck driver in the morning?” asked a neighbor at the meeting. “CR-78 is already a multi-layer patched over road. An additional 75 trucks a day will dislodge those patches, and cause cars to veer off course,” added another.
Those were just a few of the comments neighbors made at the meeting - it was packed with people speaking out about against the rezoning. Commissioner Iglesias raised concerns, pointing to R & R’s previous violations in Glades County and warned of potential rule-breaking here too.
“The reality is the Sheriff’s Departmnet and Code Enforcement don’t have the resources to stay on top of what you may or may not do, or what your drivers may or may not do,” said Iglesias.
In the end, applause erupted in the room as Commissioners voted 3-2 against the rezoning of the property. “The people have spoken, and the bottom line is the panthers have won,” said Menkes.
