Lake benefits from reworked Cemex pact.
After a two-and-a-halfyear legal battle between Cemex and Lake County, the Board of County Commissioners approved a settlement agreement with Cemex on Nov. 20 to allow dry sand mining on about 600 acres south of Clermont near the large reclaimed-water rapidinfiltration system owned by Orange County and the Orlando Utilities Commission referred to as Conserve II.
This settlement agreement stopped the clock on legal fees being paid by taxpayers to defend several legal actions filed against Lake County as a result of the Lake County Commission’s 3-2 vote in 2015 to deny Cemex’s proposed sand mine. While some made political hay out of their vote to deny the application, I knew then that the permit was allowed under local and state law, which is why I did not vote against the application. Rather, I proposed strict conditions at that time to mitigate impacts and prevent expensive litigation.
After more than two years of litigation, Cemex resubmitted its application in conjunction with a negotiated settlement agreement between the county and large adjoining landowners. The settlement resulted in several beneficial concessions, including the donation to the county of a 100-acre parcel that can be used as a regional public park with ball fields and other recreational amenities.
Of the 600 acres being mined within Cemex’s 1,200-acre parcel, only 100 acres can be excavated at a time. Each 100-acre area must be reclaimed and contoured so prior mining isn’t evident.
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Cemex must construct an east-to-west road (Schofield Road) from U.S. Highway 27 in Lake County to the Orange County line. From that point, Schofield Road will connect to the State Road 429 beltway. No sand trucks are permitted to leave the site until Cemex completes construction of Schofield Road.
There will be no hydraulic mining (no lakes may be created); water used to wash sand must be recycled as an alternative to drawing water from the aquifer; reclaimed water from Conserve II can also be used for washing sand; no excavation can occur next to the nearby blueberry farm; no batch plants, block or cement plants are allowed; Cemex must construct and maintain clay running trails around the perimeter of the property and install a 100-foot earthen berm with trees around the land; and no dust or noise can be created offsite.
As part of the mining approval, Cemex must adhere to the Lake County “Wellness Way” Plan, which requires that post-mining land uses on the Cemex property yield 3,400 jobs through the allocation of 154 acres of land that can only be used for commercial uses and targeted industries such as research, technology, biomedical and education. Cemex must designate 239 acres for “wellness” land uses and 120 acres as green space.
By working with adjoining property owners and imposing strict conditions, our County Commission is protecting the surrounding area, obtaining beneficial concessions such as the construction of Schofield Road, and avoiding ongoing legal costs.