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Letters to the Editor

Mosaic mine expansion should not be approved by Manatee County

Daland Fithian wears a mask that reads "NO" while waiting for the start of the special land use meeting on Jan. 26. The Mosaic Company is presenting their proposal for rezoning 3,600 acres of their land to be able to mine on their Wingate East property.
Daland Fithian wears a mask that reads "NO" while waiting for the start of the special land use meeting on Jan. 26. The Mosaic Company is presenting their proposal for rezoning 3,600 acres of their land to be able to mine on their Wingate East property. Hannah Morse Bradenton Herald

Mosaic mining company is the world’s largest producers of phosphate-based fertilizers. Now they want to expand their mines by 3,635 acres, which moves them even closer to us.

They are polluting our water systems; it’s slowly leaking into our streams, rivers, and you guessed it, ending up in our ocean. Meanwhile, killing the fish and destroying our wildlife.

Mote Marine (in my opinion) is just wasting its time and money studying red tide blooms. Take a trip in a small plane and fly east one and a half hours; there you will see the damage these mines are causing.

At another one of their mines in Polk County 200 million gallons of acidic waste water, “now a beautiful acid lake,” drained into a sinkhole This is Mosaic at work. Please everyone, be aware how serious this is. Red tide not only causes coughing but can be very serious to the respiratory system.

Write to the board of Manatee County commission and let them know that you don’t want a mine in your back yard.

Judith Duzgun

Longboat Key

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Mosaic mine expansion should not be approved by Manatee County."

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