By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
All was quiet on the Gulf Hammock monkey farm story until a Gainesville public news station published a story quoting an anonymous source who allegedly claimed to be a JOINN Biologics manager that the 1,400 acres the company bought in Gulf Hammock would be used for grazing cattle.
The story by WUFT quoted the person that spoke to the reporter by phone as saying the company wouldn’t proceed without government approval, but the story was short on specifics except for the online headline that got everyone’s attention – “No monkey business in Levy County: Primate research lab gets nixed.”
When Levy County resident, Martha Osberger, spoke to Levy County Commissioners at Tuesday’s board meeting she didn’t ask about the WUFT story but she wanted to know where the supposed monkey farm she had heard about would be built in Levy County.
Levy County Commissioner John Meeks responded the proposed site of the monkey lab property is in Gulf Hammock, but he then quoted from the WUFT story and said the lab apparently isn’t going to be constructed.
“According to what they said on the news last night, they have backed off and they are not going to pursue the monkey aspect,” Meeks said. “Is that news to you Stacey?” (Stacey Hectus is the planning and zoning director).
“That’s news to me,” Hectus responded.
“That’s their story. I’m not advocating for it, but that’s what I saw on the news last night,” Meeks said.
No Permit Applications
Outgoing Commission Chairman Rock Meeks clarified that the county hasn’t received an application for a permit from the company.
“Just as a side note, as far as I know, unless someone came and applied – nobody has applied for zero permits in Levy County. They applied for nothing. They have not tried to make an application for any type of building structure, any type of anything. They just made a land purchase,” Meeks said.
Without an application for rezoning or constructing buildings on the property, the county has no idea what JOINN Laboratories is planning. The company has remained silent except for emails sent to Hectus by a realtor that brokered the sale.
Herd of Reindeer – Monkey Lab Property
Another resident, LeeAnne Rohrer, said she passes by the 1,400-acre property every day on the way to work in Williston and she said the property housed exotic animals under the previous ownership.
“The entire time the Lambs owned it there were exotic animals on the property of all types. One day I drove by and there was an entire herd of reindeer. They were beautiful,” she said. “Since they sold that property, I haven’t seen one single animal on the fence line along the highway. It’s my understanding they sold those animals with the property, so I’m wondering about those animals.”
Rohrer wanted to know if any local person had been left as a caretaker for the animals. Commission Chairman Rock Meeks said the property had been used as a game preserve for hunting before it was sold to the company that owns it now. He said someone from Romeo was hired as the caretaker. He wasn’t sure what happened to the animals on the property after the sale.
Anonymous Source?
Regarding the WUFT story, when news reporters quote anonymous sources it’s always a gamble when they don’t know the name of the person they are quoting and can’t confirm their official position with a company or an agency. WUFT said the source they were quoting was calling from a JOINN Biologics phone number, but the reporter could have been talking to a janitor rather than a manager.
The realtor that handled the sale of the property from the Lamb family in Crystal River to JOINN Laboratories, or JOINN Biologics, as it is sometimes known, corresponded by email with Hectus for a period of time before the sale. The realtor told Hectus the plan for the property was to establish a monkey quarantine facility for medical research monkeys. He also told her much of the property, which is under a conservation easement, would be used for farming purposes and would have farm animals.
JOINN Faces Challenges
One of the challenges the company faces if it plans to use the property for a monkey quarantine facility is that research laboratories are allowed only in industrial zones in Levy County, according to Hectus, and she told the realtor before the land was purchased that the county wouldn’t look favorably on changing the zoning on the 1,400-acre Gulf Hammock parcel to industrial because it would amount to spot zoning and wouldn’t be compatible with neighboring properties. She said the company purchased the property knowing the zoning requirements it was facing.
A second challenge the company is facing is possible legislation in Tallahassee that would bar companies considered adversarial to U.S. interests from purchasing land in Florida for farming or any other purposes. Gov. Ron DeSantis has promised legislation in the spring session of the Legislature. The session begins in early March.
Legislative Delegation & Monkey Lab
The Levy County Legislative Delegation Hearing, an annual event preceding the legislative session is slated for 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20 in the Levy County Commission meeting room at the Levy County Government Center. The government center is situated on School Street behind the Levy County Courthouse.
Commissioners haven’t formally announced what they plan to discuss with State Rep. Chuck Clemons and State Sen. Keith Perry in terms of legislation they would like to see passed, but the subject of the monkey lab property and the potential legislation barring such facilities from opening in Florida could be on the menu.
Residents will also have an opportunity to speak to the two state lawmakers on whatever subjects they have on their minds. The monkey lab may be one of the subjects, but someone is virtually certain to discuss the future of the Northern Turnpike Extension, which is arguably just as controversial as the monkey lab property in Levy County.
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting December 20, 2022; Posted December 22, 2022
