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Indian River joins St. Lucie Opposition to compost permit

Posted at 7:53 PM, Jun 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-20 19:53:53-04

By a 4-1 decision, Indian River County Commissioners Tuesday decided to join the conversation surrounding Sunbreak Farms.

“To ensure we have an active ear, and we have a voice," said Commission Chairman Joe Flescher.

Sunbreak has 66-hundred acres that straddle Indian River and St. Lucie Counties. Most of the land is in St. Lucie County.  The company submitted a plan to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to use biosolids, made partially from recycled human waste, to fertilize their corn crops.

Carter Taylor with the Indian River Neighborhood Association spoke out against the proposal Tuesday.

“We’re all floating on top of water and anything that adds nutrients potentially to our water supply is something of concern," said Taylor.

No one from Sunbreak was at Tuesday’s meeting because of scheduling conflicts, but representatives defended their proposal last week before St. Lucie County Commissioners, saying they had an extensive system of canals and reservoirs to keep the water on the land.

St. Lucie County voted to request a hearing on the proposal.

“We will be there in support of St. Lucie County and St. Lucie County’s petition for an administrative hearing," said Indian River County Attorney Dylan Reingold.

Reingold says he is working with all parties, including the DEP and SFWMD to hold a conference call in the next week.