Polk County has orchestrated an elaborate process to avoid BS Ranch and Farm having any derogatory charges against its industrial waste water treatment facility permit.
I Kirk Sullivan have met with three County commissioners and yet for the first time today was thrown out of a county commissioner meeting for bringing up the subject that Polk County orchestrated the rapid firing of its code enforcement officer so that county attorney Randy Mink could drop all charges against BS Ranch and Farm.
He kept telling me to focus on BS Ranch and stop looking at the activities at the county. He would not even look at the documents that I received from the freedom of information request. However when I showed him the photographs that were taken of the water leaving the property he said he had seen all the photographs. I asked him if he had seen all the photographs why he did not act since it was a straight violation of the permit. That’s when they had me removed
This comes after critical information was withheld from myself and Officer Plavchek during the special magistrate hearing in December 2019 this information had to do with the state of Florida settling out of court with the BS Ranch and farm and during that out of court settlement required them to take air samples of the biosolid lagoons located 500 feet from our property these air samples recorded over 210 ppm of hydrogen sulfate where the OSHA safety level is 20 ppm it also showed the exact location where these offsite objectionable odors are coming from this information was demanded by BS Ranch attorneys to me when I was a witness in front of the special magistrate in December I could not answer this question because this information was withheld I asked that the special magistrate open the hearing and bring in this factual information that is timely and relevant.
She has not been able to rule on this case even though she was able to rule against another business in March based on the officer’s same information that he cited BS Ranch the same day.
Officer Plavchek was terminated from Polk County employment so that charges pending before the special magistrate could be dropped and that’s exactly what happened they charged Officer Plavchek with criminal charges and gross negligence and charge that he had to spend $7000 or face criminal prosecution the only way out would be is if he resigned voluntarily which he did under objection this treatment of an employee in order to resolve pollution charges is unconscionable and must be investigated To the fullest extent possible however when bringing this information forward to Port county commissioners today- information that was only collected under a freedom of information request I was asked to leave the building
This is no way to treat a citizen who for the last four years has had his employees inhaling these objectionable offsite odors the other more interesting note is that had he paid the $7000 bribe extortion then he would’ve still been employed and the charges would still be going forward so BS Ranch and Farm was able to have all the charges dropped against them for a measly $7000! The special magistrate then ruled and dropped all charges against BS Ranch as a “first time offender” even though she has not rule from the December case she should have recused herself! The only way there a first-time offender is because she has failed to rule. had she ruled they would’ve already been a second time offender and it would’ve been more difficult for them to get their five-year Florida Department of environmental industrial waste water treatment facility permit renewed
I am charging corruption within Polk County Government: that it has been covering up that polluted water has left the facility. Polk County is in possession of aerial photography they took showing water leaving this facility and yet they have refused to place any charges against BS Ranch and Farm for water leaving an industrial waste water treatment facility that is not in compliance
Kirk Sullivan