Pouring dirt on the sand mine plan

It’s rock vs. hard place time for Citrus County commissioners.

On one side, a zoning plan that would help the Suncoast Parkway and the Florida Department of Transportation, both winners in the eyes of commissioners.

On the other, angry Pine Ridgers. Angry that, once again, they feel the need to show up in force to protect their home turf.

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In a year of one major zoning case after another comes the oddity of the Southworth sand mine application.

It’s pretty simple: Dig out 150 acres of sand west of Pine Ridge, truck it directly to the Suncoast Parkway under construction, and about 36 months later, what’s left is an 8-foot deep lake.

Project opponents are convinced that once the sand is gone, the owner will come back with another zoning change to allow houses around a newly created lake. That’s not on the table today, though.

Officially, the 5:01 p.m. public hearing is for an application to change 322 acres from agriculture to extractive use. (Here's the full agenda.)

Pine Ridge residents, who are setting the standard on how to fight against development intrusion, seem unified on this one. Those “Stop the sandmine.com” signs are everywhere, even outside of the community. I grabbed a photo of one in the median at County Roads 486/491.

Think I’ll ramble some:

— The political dilemma first. Commissioners have a big one here. Just two months ago, the FDOT was reportedly telling the county it didn’t have enough dirt to continue construction on the next legs of the parkway. When FDOT and one commissioner suggested the county temporarily gut the zoning rules to allow the state quick access to private land, all heck broke loose.

Citizens who figured this was an end-around on the Southworth application pitched a fit. Southworth representatives said this wasn’t THEIR idea, and they weren’t happy with the county for suggesting it.

FDOT District 7 Secretary Justin Hall looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole when he came before the County Commission. The last thing Hall wants is to get in the middle of Citrus County’s zoning wars. He backed down quickly, saying FDOT identified a site that has plenty of fill dirt.

I asked Hall to identify the site. Yup, you guessed it. Southworth. FDOT doesn’t have a sand problem so long as commissioners approve the Southworth sand mine.

— Expect to hear plenty about how sand will be trucked directly to the parkway construction site without using public roads. Very good thing, indeed. Totally irrelevant to a zoning case. Good luck to the first commissioner who tells Pine Ridge residents they’re better off with this plan.

— What is relevant: Does it follow the rules? According to the first review, no.

Because extraction is such a technical subject, the county uses a special master — not the planning board — to hear the case first and make a recommendation. I attended that hearing, and the special master seemed ready to support it.

Except, he said, for one significant flaw: There’s no restoration plan. The county code requires mining applicants to “put back the same thing that had previously existed” when the extraction is finished. Southworth’s plans are to remove the sand and create a lake. Clearly not the “same thing.”

On that matter alone, this could be a 5-0 denial. I mean…they didn’t meet the standard. The county went to a special master process for his technical expertise. He’s ruled based on that expertise. I don’t know how a county commissioner can vote otherwise.

— The FDOT has hinted, and certain county types will parrot, that if the Southworth rezoning doesn’t happen, then the state will just buy property for sand and the heck with local regulations. Seems like a toothless threat. Technically, yes, the state could do just that. Strongarm the county into getting sand for the parkway.

But how realistic is that? FDOT, more than any state agency, seeks a harmonious relationship with Citrus County. Everyone has gotten along just fine these last 20 years. Is the state really going to upend that over sand? More likely, smart minds will come together and figure something out.

This isn’t your typical zoning case. But it’s indicative of where we are today. Citizens are skittish and distrustful of any person or institution that supports growth. Southworth, technically, is not a growth debate on its own. Anything related to the parkway, though, is.

One side, rock. The other, hard place. It’s where commissioners find themselves a lot lately.

Have yourselves a wonderful Tuesday, friends.

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