5/18/1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MAY 181993 BOOK 89 PAU..58*0 the burning site was going to be good for his health, and he defended his neighbor's right to operate an ostrich farm without the threat of harmful emissions. George Palace, 85th Street, advised that his property is only one quarter of a mile away from the proposed site and his elderly parents who live with him have chronic health problems. His property is zoned Agricultural and he is planning to use it for an agricultural purpose, the raising of ostriches. They already have $250,000 in this property. Mr. Palace emphasized that emissions from the incinerator will kill these ostriches. He pays $3,000 a year in property taxes, and if assessments drop on properties in the area because of their proximity to this burning facility, the County will have less tax monies to spend. He urged the Board to deny Mr. Fey's request for special exception use approval. Al Vilardi, resident of Sebastian, recalled that when a known polluter came before this Board a while back asking for permission to burn, the Board didn't appear to be a bit concerned. Now, however, the Board is putting this applicant through the mill on an operation that will be built even further west. The people in Fellsmere didn't seem to be concerned about that known polluter and he felt something is amiss here and that we should get back on track for the right thing. Woody Halsworth of Fellsmere was in favor of developing the agriculturally designated land in an agricultural manner. He stressed the benefits of growing food locally for local consumption. Joseph Brooks, former Mayor of Fellsmere, pointed out that the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) do not allow any type of business that would emit air pollutants into the atmosphere and those uses are spelled out in the ordinances. Since the DER does not have the necessary manpower to consistently monitor the operation of these incinerators, there is nothing much anyone can do about it if an operator of the incinerator wants to save a little money by not operating it properly. Bruce Barkett, attorney representing Al Kahn, spoke against the allowance of the burning use, noting that his client went through a very lengthy process to get a density of 1 unit to 5 acres for rural type residential and this burning operation threatens the viability of a residential development. He distributed copies of the ordinance showing the pollutant laws. Attorney Barkett concluded by pointing out that the County just spent a considerable amount of money on a mulcher; that this 39