By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                A vocal opponent of manure composting told Levy County Commissioners Tuesday they should avoid rushing into adoption of an ordinance to protect residents because rushing can lead to mistakes, but she advised them waiting too long could lead to disastrous consequences.

            Rose Fant, who lives next door to a manure dump, as she describes it, Fant Farm Organics, a composting site for horse stall waste for about 12 years, said she was certain commissioners are privately gathering information to develop rules, regulations, and a plan of action to address manure composting.

            She compared their behind-the-scenes preparation to the military’s code of secrecy when charting a course of action and executing a plan without giving away their strategy. She doesn’t think they are sitting idly by doing nothing. She learned about the military when her son was serving.

            But she said commissioners must act, and take action soon because doing nothing can result in a bad outcome.

            “Commissioners, an inaction is an action,” she said.

            “My Dad brought me up with a phrase, if it’s worth doing right, it’s worth doing right the first time. I’ve always believed that. However, I feel the need to remind you that taking too long will result in the inability, by legal means, to perform the action during your tenure,” she said. “You’ve come so far. You’ve learned so much about the practice of composting manure, about agricultural regulations, and about the currently illegal existing operations at Fant Farm Organics, I can assure you, having this prepared by September is too late. Please don’t wait too long to take action. It’s imperative to be objective.”

            She congratulated the property appraiser’s office on correcting improper land-use classifications including reclassifying Fant Farm Organics as non-farmland.

            “It was never a farming practice to begin with,” said Fant, who with her husband Ben, farm about 300 acres of land adjoining Fant Farm Organics. Rose and Ben Fant pasture cattle, and raise row crops, and grow hay.

            The composting practice at Fant Farm Organics doesn’t grow anything. She said the composting is not in the codes of the NAICS (North American Industry Classification System), USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), or IRS (Internal Revenue Service).

            County Commissioner Desiree Mills, who represents the district where Fant and her husband Ben farm, thanked Rose Fant for her comments on composting.

            “Yes, we are all doing our homework and working diligently on that, but I mirror your comments. I am being bombarded by calls on composting. I urge us to make a decision. That’s all I’m going to say out of respect for Commissioner (Matt) Brooks. I know that’s on his list to address (today).”

            Commissioner John Meeks added a surprise twist to the comments about composting.

            “I would also like to add that there is renewed interest by state agencies in composting in Levy County. I think they may have forgotten about us for a little, but now they are back vigorously investigating,” Meeks said.

            In his update concerning composting, Brooks said the county continues to conduct is its due diligence with regard to composting.

            “I think we are getting everything dialed in and narrowed down closely to have something from staff to present to the board for consideration,” Brooks said.

            He said the board had tasked staff with bringing information to the board last year.

            “We have a very clear directive that was given. That directive included meeting with industry people, holding workshops to speak to the public, and also meeting with state agencies. We had one meeting with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We have another meeting scheduled with the Florida Department of Agriculture, and Consumer Services (FDACS) shortly,” Brooks said. “So, it does have our priority and close attention.”

            Regarding a timeline that would lead to a decision on manure composting, Brooks said the Levy County Planning Commission won’t meet in June. The Planning Commission is an advisory board that will review any proposed ordinance on composting. He said staff indicated they will try to have something prepared for the board by the first county commission meeting in July for the board to consider.

            “I think we can dial up good in that meeting, give clear, and concise direction to staff; we will move into a draft ordinance and regulation, and present it,” he said. “Once we go into an ordinance it will go before the Planning Commission, so whenever that next scheduled meeting is – in July or August – we’ll see how it falls.”

            Brooks said enacting an ordinance will require two public hearings.

            “I say we’ll move as expeditiously as possible. We still have a process to follow. There will be a few meetings for us to be able to adopt and enact that,” Brooks said. “Commissioner Mills said she’s been getting a lot of calls. All of the commissioners are getting a lot of calls. It’s not falling on deaf ears. It’s an issue that’s been ongoing since 2012 and probably prior, so we did not get here overnight, and I don’t want to say it will be solved overnight, but we’re going to work overnight to make sure it gets our full attention. I just want to make sure the public has our confidence in that regard.”

            “I think I can probably speak for the board that they’re ready to get this behind us and not have this popping up every two or three years and I think this board has taken the task on and I appreciate all the work they have done, the engagement the public has brought to us, the engagement from the folks in the industry as well. I think we will make the best decision that’s going to affect the most people in the county and I think that’s what we’re hired to do,” Brooks said.

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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting June 6, 2023; Posted June 6, 2023