By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Levy County Commissioners Matt Brooks and Mike Joyner say Marion County has become the horse capital of the United States but they don’t want Levy County to become the horse manure capital.
Brooks won commission support Tuesday to work with County Attorney Anne Brown on an ordinance that would control and regulate the spread of horse manure dumping facilities in Levy County.
He is concerned that the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, the largest facility of its type in the world, could attract more horse farms and training facilities that need a place to deposit their manure.
The Allen Fant operation in Morriston, a state-regulated waste dumping facility, already draws complaints from neighbors about its piles of wood shavings and horse manure.
While the farm complies with Florida Department of Environmental Regulation rules and is rumored to have plans to clear its property, there are currently no county regulations to stop other landowners from establishing similar operations in Levy County, Brooks said.
Brooks said there are two 20 acre parcels on the Allen Fant operation being used for depositing horse manure and shavings.
“What is not shown in these pictures is the front 20 acres which is full of material as well, just as high as you can go on these parcels – that’s how it’s being stacked,” he said. “I just want to approach it so this doesn’t become a widespread issue. It’s not about this particular parcel. This parcel is a case study in what could be coming if we don’t put things in place.”
The Levy County Development Department has sent code enforcement officers to the property on more than one occasion to investigate complaints, officials there report.
Brooks convened a staff meeting on Dec. 20 to gather ideas from county supervisors, officials from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and Florida Department of Agriculture on what could be done to address the issue of piling manure from horse farms on open fields in Levy County.
Joyner, the only farmer on the county commission, thinks Brooks is headed in the right direction.
“Marion County is going to be the horse capital and if we don’t do something, Levy County is going to be the dumping capital,” Joyner said. “If we don’t put up some kind of barrier with rules and regulations Levy County’s just going to be a big pile of horse manure. Myself, I think you are on the right track Matt.”
Commissioner Lilly Rooks endorsed Brooks’ efforts.
“I know these neighbors will be very happy,” she said.
“This won’t necessarily stop him,” Brooks responded. “There’s a rumor he is trying to clear that out within the next 18 months, so that will probably make the neighbors happy, but my goal is to stop it from spreading to other parcels.”
Brooks tossed out the ideas of establishing setbacks for properties and requiring composting facilities to have a concrete base and covering over the top.
He said he knows this has been a topic of conversation for a number of years on the board but he wants to be proactive in addressing the issue before it spreads and becomes a countywide problem.
The ordinance Brooks envisions would stop the type of dumping he showed commissioners in photographs.
“It shows a 20-acre parcel that goes from pasture land to all shavings and manure. Mind you, as far as the state is concerned, everything that’s going on with this parcel is legal. They’ve done water tests. They’ve done their due diligence,” Brooks said. “But I think this has kind of pushed down to the local level for us to take care of, so my only concern is that we don’t see a massive amount of dumping that has occurred here start to take hold in different areas of the county.”
He said he wants to, “start small and see if we can control some of this.”
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting February 2, 2021; Posted February 2, 2021
