strawberry fields are not forever the sad saga of how a strawberry field in manatee county, florida...
DESCRIPTION
What That Did That allows Mosaic to use huge draglines like the one pictured below to strip-mine off the top 15 to 30 feet of soil to expose a 10 to 20 foot layer of phosphate rock and to remove that rock for processing. Note pickup truckTRANSCRIPT
Strawberry Fields Are
NOT Forever
The sad saga of how a strawberry field in Manatee County, Florida has been condemned to total obliteration by strip- mining.
Click on slide to advance to next slide.
PROLOGUE
On August 11, 2015 the Board of Commissioners of Manatee County, Florida, approved a rezoning request by Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC to change 272 acres of the G&D Farm Addition near Duette, FL from Agriculture to Extraction (Mining).
What That Did
That allows Mosaic to use huge draglines like the one pictured below to strip-mine off the top 15 to 30 feet of soil to expose a 10 to 20 foot layer of phosphate rock and to remove that rock for processing.
Note pickup truck
What Does That Do To The Land?
The following series of slides shows two parcels of land side by side. The one on the right in each slide is the strawberry field that was just approved for mining by the Manatee County Board of Commissioners in spite of protests by many citizens. The one on the left was mined starting in 2003 and ending in 2005.
By Florida State Statute and Manatee County Ordinance, Mosaic is required to restore the land to its pre-mined condition or better within two years.
62C-16.0051 Reclamation and Restoration Standards, section (12)(b)4
2002
Strawberry FieldsPre-Mining Field
2003
Mining Starts
2004
Mining Finished
2005
Area Flooded
2006
No Reclamation Yet!
2007
Some Areas Filled
2008
No Progress since 2007
2010
Large Lake Is Formed
2013
Is That It?
2015 (Now)
Is this what Mosaic means by “restoring the land”?
2002
This is what it looked like in 2002. Now it looks like the next slide.
2015 (Now)
Is this what Mosaic means by “restoring the land”?
This Is The DoomedStrawberry Field.
Mosaic Has Not Met Its Obligation To Restore Mined Land To Its Pre-Mined Condition And To Do So In Two Years
As Required By Law.
62C-16.0051 Reclamation and Restoration Standards, section (12)(b)4
Tell The County Commissioners To Not Approve Any New Mining Until Mosaic Meets Their Legal Obligation To Restore ALL Mined Land To Its Pre-Mined Condition.
