Guest Viewpoint | Owner of Medieval Fair site says he is the victim of classic ‘NIMBYism’

Fall is in the air, and one of the best ways to enjoy Florida in the fall is by going to a Florida farm.

Yet one local farm, the Mallaranny Nursery, has been recklessly and falsely accused of having participated in some form of public corruption and operating in violation of state and local laws. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, it’s just the opposite. The Mallaranny Nursery, myself and my family have been the victim of a complicated and complex attack to block revitalization of this farm, and an organized attempt to stop providing safe, family-friendly and state-approved agritourism activities.

Contrary to the accusations of a single Manatee County code enforcement officer who has been put on administrative leave for reasons that are not fully clear, neither I, my family, the Mallaranny Nursery, nor the Sarasota Medieval Fair have received any favoritism in permitting or code enforcement. Instead, we have been unfairly placed under extreme scrutiny by the county due to numerous unfounded accusations initiated by a disgruntled neighbor.

My long-time desire to own a farm led me to purchase 47-acres of agriculture land on SR 70. The site includes mature oak trees, lush meadows of grass, winding creeks, and a 30-plus-year-old plant nursery.

Since purchasing the farm over a year ago, the nursery has been expanded, and a herd of cattle have been added. The natural beauty of the farm is also ideal for others to explore Florida’s outdoors through the Sarasota Medieval Fair for eight days in November.

From the outset, appropriate local and state regulatory agencies were contacted and consulted, permit requests were filed and received, and in the rare request to make an adjustment for an enhanced driveway entrance, we complied and fulfilled all obligations.

As any friendly neighbor would do, I reached out to the adjacent neighbor to share the permitted improvements being made. Instead of expressing concern, or even asking questions, this personal tour resulted in calls for investigation for “unpermitted activities” to local and state regulatory agencies.

The same neighbor even began flying a drone over the farm to take images, which were provided to the local newspapers that had also been contacted about alleged unpermitted activities.

There were even accusations that improvements to the Mallaranny Nursery resulted in flooding to the neighbor’s property — a false allegation that actually resulted in downstream neighbors being cited by the SWFWMD for constructing an illegal and unpermitted dam on their property, the source of the flooding.

This is classic NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) — obstructionist tactics to block a nursery and cattle farm that, eight days out of the year, will provide family-friendly outdoor agritourism activities.

Florida’s elected leaders encourage agritourism, and have taken steps to help ensure local governments don’t overreach their authority through political interference. Florida’s Right to Farm law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, specifically focus on reducing nuisance claims and enabling farmers to concentrate on the mission of farming.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which has approved the Sarasota Medieval Fair as an agritourism event thus exempting it from needing to obtain a county special/temporary use permit, recently wrote to Manatee County expressing its concern that the counties recently created Special Use Permit for agritourism events goes beyond the intent of Florida’s Right to Farm law.

Despite this letter from FDACS, Manatee County moved forward and changed its 30-plus years-long permitting practice, now saying that all agritourism operators are immediately out of compliance and must now apply for a more intensive and costly permitting review or move forward “at your own risk.”

Will this same process apply to pumpkin festivals, eco tours, wine tasting and other similar farm-related activities?

Misinformation has become all too common place in today’s politically charged environment. It’s my hope that by shedding light on these obstructive NIMBYism attacks, it helps set the record straight.

The farm and the fair are properly permitted and authorized, are not the subject of an investigation or litigation, and we welcome one and all for eight days in November to inspire your imagination and enjoy the historic medieval atmosphere under the oaks.

When you support a farm that hosts agritourism activities, you’re actually helping ensure that the next generation of Floridians will have access to the wonders of a rural and agrarian lifestyle that has been an important part of Florida’s economy for over 175 years.

Jeremy Croteau is president of Mallaranny Nursery near Myakka City, the site of the Medieval Festival.

This story was originally published October 22, 2021 at 11:38 AM.