{"id":34377,"date":"2023-08-08T19:42:51","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T23:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=34377"},"modified":"2023-08-08T19:42:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T23:42:55","slug":"not-what-i-thought-it-was-polk-county-authorizes-legal-fight-against-bs-ranch-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2023\/08\/08\/not-what-i-thought-it-was-polk-county-authorizes-legal-fight-against-bs-ranch-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Not what I thought it was\u2019: Polk County authorizes legal fight against BS Ranch &#038; Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In their&nbsp;continued effort&nbsp;to get it shut down, Polk County commissioners on Tuesday authorized further legal action to be considered against a compost operation that some say&nbsp;stinks up the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"537\" height=\"427\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 537px) 100vw, 537px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/bs1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/bs1.png 537w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/bs1-300x239.png 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe got a pool back there and we can\u2019t even go swimming sometimes because it stinks so bad,\u201d said Samantha Kosier, who lives near BS Ranch &amp; Farm. \u201cFamily members come over and they\u2019re like \u2018what is that smell\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI do not think that it is safe for us and I don\u2019t think we should have to deal with this,\u201d said Deborah Hayes, who also lives near the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-embed wp-block-embed-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"xG6iADcGPL\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2019\/09\/24\/bs-ranch-farm-cited-for-eye-watering-odor-again\/\">BS Ranch &#038; Farm cited for \u201ceye-watering\u201d odor again\u2026..<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;BS Ranch &#038; Farm cited for \u201ceye-watering\u201d odor again\u2026..&#8221; &#8212; \" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2019\/09\/24\/bs-ranch-farm-cited-for-eye-watering-odor-again\/embed\/#?secret=ioi6DBiKBr#?secret=xG6iADcGPL\" data-secret=\"xG6iADcGPL\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BS Ranch &amp; Farm takes in tens of thousands of human waste, biosolids, yard waste and garbage every month, state and county records show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The intent was to turn the materials into soil, but state and county officials say that is not happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey were going to mix it with other ingredients and sell that as fertilizer to farmers and ranchers or whatever. The fact is they take it in and they don\u2019t sell it out,\u201d said Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell. \u201cThey\u2019re really more of a waste facility than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-embed wp-block-embed-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"NvxJPZkD0v\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2022\/03\/17\/dep-has-denied-bs-ranch-farms-renewal-of-a-permit-to-operate-in-lakeland\/\">DEP has denied BS Ranch &#038; Farm&#8217;s renewal of a permit to operate in Lakeland<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;DEP has denied BS Ranch &#038; Farm&#8217;s renewal of a permit to operate in Lakeland&#8221; &#8212; \" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2022\/03\/17\/dep-has-denied-bs-ranch-farms-renewal-of-a-permit-to-operate-in-lakeland\/embed\/#?secret=tXys2kAYBG#?secret=NvxJPZkD0v\" data-secret=\"NvxJPZkD0v\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The farm\u2019s approval was one of Braswell\u2019s first votes on the commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his 11 years on the board, it is the one vote commissioner George Lindsey says he regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI went out there when it initially opened up with the idea, being a farmer, maybe I could use the material. Found out it really wasn\u2019t what I thought it was,\u201d said Braswell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BS Ranch &amp; Farm owner Brandy Stanton tells the media it does sell soil but, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection\u2019s notice of permit renewal denial in March 2022, it converted .0093% of its materials into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stanton also denies the facility emits much of an odor, if at all. However, the county has previously cited the company for&nbsp;odor violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe talk about this on a weekly basis around here. It&nbsp;smells so bad&nbsp;and it goes so far. It\u2019s really upsetting to the people who live within a mile or two of it,\u201d said Braswell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After DEP denied BS Ranch\u2019s permit renewal, the department came to an agreement with the company in what\u2019s known as a consent order. In it, BS Ranch is required to take certain actions, including testing the water to make sure it is not contaminating the groundwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The county says the consent order did not go far enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of Tuesday\u2019s consent agenda, commissioners authorized the county to petition for an administrative hearing and take other legal actions to reverse or modify DEP\u2019s consent order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also authorizes the county attorney\u2019s office to hire outside counsel to seek legal remedies against BS Ranch &amp; Farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-embed wp-block-embed-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"nmdLERNfal\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2022\/06\/08\/bs-ranch-and-farm-vs-lake-hancock\/\">BS Ranch and Farm vs Lake Hancock<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;BS Ranch and Farm vs Lake Hancock&#8221; &#8212; \" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2022\/06\/08\/bs-ranch-and-farm-vs-lake-hancock\/embed\/#?secret=vWMSO5uAtu#?secret=nmdLERNfal\" data-secret=\"nmdLERNfal\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s going get expensive. It\u2019s been expensive but we\u2019ve been handling most of it internally. We\u2019re going to hire an outside law firm that specializes in this sort of thing and see what we can get done that way,\u201d said Braswell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey knew exactly what we were going to be doing. We\u2019ve come to an agreement with DEP. It\u2019s very good and very sound. Why they want to go around trying to shut this business down, I don\u2019t understand. It\u2019s frustrating,\u201d Stanton said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In their&nbsp;continued effort&nbsp;to get it shut down, Polk County commissioners on Tuesday authorized further legal action to be considered against a compost operation that some say&nbsp;stinks up the neighborhood. \u201cWe&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}