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Company Wants To Dig All Night

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By LIZ BLEAU, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2007

RUSKIN - A Delaware company is seeking permission to operate the county's first all-night borrow pit at an existing excavation site off U.S. 41 and near the Manatee County line.

CL Realty LLC has applied for a special-use permit to dig and haul dirt through the night and early morning.

A hearing on the proposed permit will be held at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 16 by the land-use hearing officer at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.

The county's planning and growth management department is recommending the permit be denied.

Tom Hiznay, a county planner assigned to review the application, said he and Biff Craine, the attorney for the borrow pit owner, have met to review the county's recommended denial. The company's removal of all haul routes from the site except for the route south on U.S. 41 to Interstate 275 in Manatee County has not been a sufficient change for the county to approve the night operations, Hiznay said.

Craine said the company has received a letter from Manatee County stating it does not object to its trucks accessing I-275 there between 6 p.m. and 6:59 a.m. He said the borrow pit needs to operate during the night to provide dirt to Florida Department of Transportation projects along I-275. Those projects are being done only at night, he said.

Hiznay said that although the southern route is devoid of high-density development, there is an RV park at U.S. 41 and Valroy Road that could be affected. In addition to the trucks hauling dirt, there is the noise from the pit itself for the excavation, Hiznay said.

Another issue, he said, is that the land excavation staff, which monitors pit operations, has no staff available at night.

Craine estimated less than 25 trucks would be hauling dirt at night.

CL Realty has a excavation permit to operate from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The areas being excavated are to become lakes in a development, Craine said. According to the permit application, the excavation would take place on 78 acres of the 439-acre proposed development. The estimated duration of excavation is two years; the requested duration of the permit is three years.

Craine said no neighbors have come forward to object.

'This is probably the least populated area of the county,' he said. 'Someone needs to haul dirt at night to meet FDOT needs.'

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com.

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