Fri, Jun. 2
(TALLAHASSEE) – One year ago the
governor and his top environmental offical
canoed down the Ichetucknee River, called it
spectacular and denied a permit for a cement
plant nearby.
On Thursday, the state quietly issued the
permit. It's a defeat for Florida
environmentalists, who vow to continue
several pending legal challenges.
It is a victory for Anderson Columbia, the
giant road-building company with a spotty
environmental record that has figured in several recent political
corruption scandals.
The company had two conservative Democrats on its payroll -- former
House Speaker Bolley "Bo" Johnson and former Lake City Rep. Randy
Mackey. Both men were convicted of tax fraud for failing to report
Anderson Columbia payments.
"Suwannee American will be a good neighbor to the people of Suwannee
County, a good corporate citizen for all of Florida and a careful guardian
of the rivers and natural systems nearby," reads a statement issued by
Joe Anderson Jr., one of the owners of the family-run business.
An Anderson Columbia affiliate called Suwannee American Cement Co.
will start building the plant "as soon as practically possible," said
company spokesman Jim McClellan.
The cement plant, about 3 miles from Ichetucknee State Park, will
release about 3,100 tons of pollutants every year.
Local citizens are challenging the Suwannee County Commission's original
decision to put the plant in a rural area and that case is pending in an
appeals court.