The leadership of Hardee County has taken this county from an idyllic peaceful rural community that embraced its heritage and lifestyle to the permanently scarred landscape, damaged ecosystem and dispirited people here today. Hardee County today is what hopelessness looks like. No jobs and no futures for our young people.

We used to could spend our days on the Peace River and not have to worry about the pollution that threatens it today. We could get our drinking water straight from our faucets without having to wonder if the ‘slightly radioactive’ wastewater from a leaking gypsum stack sinkhole might have reached our well. When we bought our homes, they were our forever homes. Never did we dream our little slice of heaven would have a dragline within a rocks throw from our property lines. That we would have the mining truck traffic barreling through our residential neighborhoods. That we would have huge diesel tank fuel centers as neighbors.

We cannot understand why Manatee and DeSoto counties would CHOOSE this for their counties. Do they think the results will be different for them? That they can protect their natural resources from the ravages of the mining process? That their economies and residents won’t suffer? That they won’t end up like Hardee County?

Polk and Manatee counties remember the proverbial snake that enticed the little girl to pick him up? He promised not to bite her and then he did? Remember what the snake said? ‘You knew what I was when you picked me up.’

It’s your choice Manatee and DeSoto counties. Get bit or walk away.

In this video clip from the 3/21/18 IDA meeting Director Lambert is discussing his 90-day hiatus from the IDA’s public relations firm Tucker Hall. When asked he says they budgeted $50,000 for Tucker Hall for 2018 and have already spent $25,000.
Director Lambert goes on to say about Tucker Hall: “They have spent a lot of time and effort trying to keep Hardee County’s legitimate stuff popping up rather than the illegitimate stuff popping up when someone Googles Hardee County or Hardee County Economic Development.”

What ‘illegitimate stuff’ are you talking about Bill?
– Did you invest $7.25 million in a medical software platform concept that morphed into a Medicare call center with only 150 jobs?
– Did you offer Florida Hospital Wauchula $2 million JUST to change their location to Highway 17 when they were ALREADY going to rebuild at their old location at NO COST to us?
– Has PF Man had almost five years of free and/or reduced rent? Did you pay them $183,000 for leasehold improvements ONLY you saw and estimated the value? Did they come in five years ago with a ready to produce 35-pound generator and to date have produced NOTHING?
– Did you sell Florikan our IDA building appraised at $4.5 million for ONLY $2 million?
– Did you buy the old Scotty’s building and turn it into an incubator accelerator that has been a free parking spot and financial drain of our Mosaic public economic development funds for the ‘right’ people?
– Did the Grand Jury Presentment recommend firing you?
– Did you travel to India on the IDA dime and the results were so top secret you couldn’t tell ANYONE the results of your visit? Not even who paid for your lodging, meals and other expenses while there?
– Did you sue former IDA Board member Donald Samuels and citizen Henry Kuhlman for requesting public records because you were ‘confused’ about public records laws?
– Are you and Commissioner Mike Thompson now hand picking ‘yes’ people and stacking the IDA Board?
– Are you contemplating ‘selling’ (wink wink) the IDA fill line equipment to Debut Development?
– Did you give former IDA Chair Jim See $200,000 IDA $$ and $150,000 CRA $$ for his for-profit apartment project that the IDA will not see one dime from? Is he now asking for more IDA $$?

Director Lambert this is all public record.

…”millions of gallons of water — no one can say how much — is being used by the phosphate giant known as Mosaic to dilute polluted waste so it can be dumped into creeks without violating state regulations.”
http://www.tampabay.com/…/phosphate-giant-mosaic-pumps-fro…/2132394
“”The 60 billion pounds of hazardous waste addressed in this case is the largest amount ever covered by a federal or state . . . settlement and will ensure that wastewater at Mosaic’s facilities is properly managed and does not pose a threat to groundwater resources,” the EPA said.”
http://www.tampabay.com/…/phosphate-giant-mosaic-ag…/2247897
“A massive sinkhole opened up under a phosphate gypsum stack, sending radioactive waste into the Florida aquifer. So far, 215 million gallons of contaminated mining waste have flowed into the main source of drinking water for the northern and central portion of the state.”
http://www.industrytap.com/phosphate-mining-brings-mo…/38632

https://www.facebook.com/mosaiccompany/?hc_ref=ARRdY5ItL_BiVS8m6bbZYrzB5g57Y4GMOT6tuQaBS2qQ-Q3n16ikKF3xJvwkKgna1IE

 

There is a concerted effort to get our Facebook page, Hardee County Truth, shut down.  We will not be silenced.   So just know that if the haters succeed you can always finds us here at hardeecountytruth.com.

So until the haters back off we will be posting simultaneously on this page.