Charlotte County delays decision on proposed mine

Charlotte County commissioners voted 3-2 on Sept. 22 to continue a request for a large-scale plan amendment that would allow mineral extraction on land designated for agriculture. 

James Weeks, owner of Farabee Mine and Shell at 45030 and 45450 Farabee Road in eastern Charlotte County, partnered with his friend Kurt Traulsen, who owns the 164.66-acre recreational motocross park Z4MX at the RK Compound. Traulsen agreed to allow Weeks to extract beach-quality, washed landscape shell from his property at 44800 Bermont Road. 

When Weeks’ mining operation on Traulsen’s property is completed after a few years, Traulsen said the pit would be converted into a man-made lake for recreational activities, such as jet skiing. 

Weeks mines to a depth of 23 feet, where he said the landscape shell ends. 

Although the county previously approved Weeks to mine additional acreage on his own 140.7-acre property, Weeks said the mine will be depleted within several years. He decided to seek a permit for Traulsen’s property now because the approval process can take two or more years. 

Weeks had supporters, including Scott Carroll of Carroll’s Building Materials, who told commissioners that he sells the shell material to customers and that Weeks’ mine “is pretty rare in Florida,” where mines contain mostly limestone rock and little shell. 

Other local business owners vouched for Weeks’ business integrity, but some speakers opposed the proposed land-use change. 

At issue was an easement that would be used as a haul route and the potential impact on traffic. 

The easement runs along Traulsen’s property and the neighboring 1,032.33-acre property at 44570 Bermont Road owned by Kelly Family Holdings. 

Scarlett Redenius, who represents Kelly Family Holdings, said the property includes a potato farm and Redneck Mud Park. 

When Traulsen was creating a lake on his property, dump trucks kicked up dust that reached the potato packing house near the beginning of Bermont Road and the toll collection booths at the entrance to the mud park, affecting workers, Redenius said. 

The trucks also created large potholes, requiring the road to be repaired numerous times, she said. 

The same easement would be used as a haul route for Weeks’ proposed mining operation. 

Attorney Michael Haymans, who represented Redenius, said the former owner of Traulsen’s property, who created the first recreational park on the site, sued over use of the easement and the lawsuit “ended up in a settlement.” 

The easement was nonexclusive but was designated for agricultural operations under the property’s former county zoning. 

Several residents, including Redenius, raised concerns about traffic and safety. She said that because the mining operation would run Monday through Friday and the mud park is open on some Fridays, dump truck traffic could pose a safety hazard for youths riding off-road vehicles. 

Redenius said she worked hard to transform the Redneck Yacht Club into a family-friendly recreational park with campsites. 

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Mary Ann Tipton also raised traffic concerns, including the cumulative effect additional dump trucks could have on the area. 

Weeks said there would be no additional dump truck traffic because he would shut down his mine on Farabee Road before beginning operations on Traulsen’s property. His current operation averages 35 trucks a day, he said. 

Since 2008, eight large-scale mineral resource extraction projects encompassing about 2,000 acres have been approved in the county. 

Charlotte County Planning & Zoning Official Shaun Cullinan told the Board of County Commissioners that commercial excavation has been allowed on agricultural land. Regarding the easement, however, Cullinan said there is no specific language governing its use other than a requirement that the property owners using it maintain it. 

Commissioner Bill Truex, who made the motion to continue the matter, said he would like to see a memorandum of understanding addressing the proposal. 

Commissioner Ken Doherty said he wants assurance that Weeks would surrender the mining permit for his own property before a new permit is issued for Traulsen’s land. 

Weeks told commissioners that when he closes his excavation pit on Farabee Road, he plans to turn it into a fish-and-pay recreational lake where visitors could pay to catch tilapia or catfish.