Hendry County approves Cruz Mine PUD amendment, adds authority to halt operations and asks FDOT to consider turn lane

The Hendry County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 25 approved an amendment to the Cruz Mine planned-unit development that authorizes a designated haul route and confirms several operational conditions while asking county staff to recommend a turn lane on State Road 29 to the Florida Department of Transportation.

The PUD amendment was presented by Ryan Alexander, director of Planning and Community Development, who said the change responds to condition 2C of Ordinance 2019-26 and would allow the mine to use a specified haul route shown on the master concept plan dated 12/09/2024. Alexander told the board the application also seeks removal or waiver of several prior PUD conditions, and staff recommended approval of the haul route as shown on the submitted plan.

The board’s action included three specific operational focuses referenced in the staff presentation: material stockpile location, a tire-wash requirement, and buffering along portions of the site. Alexander described the southern buffer as a Type D buffer, which he said requires a minimum width of 30 feet, a specified number of trees per 100 linear feet, and a 60-inch-high hedge or equivalent shrubs or wall as required by the county’s landscaping standards.

Public commenters pressed the board on truck traffic and safety on State Road 29. A resident identified as Taylor raised concerns about turning lanes and heavy truck traffic; Ryan Alexander and Shane Parker, the county engineer, told speakers that turn-lane design and approval are within FDOT’s jurisdiction and that the applicant has applied to FDOT for a driveway connection to SR-29. Sonya Lee, chair of the Felder Community Civic Association, asked why no FDOT representative was present and urged the board to seek a 45-mph speed limit from Tanner Road to the trailer park.

An engineering-credentialed commenter cited FDOT design standards and sight-distance guidance, saying those manuals include specific criteria for turning lanes and driveway geometry. Other residents described frequent heavy-truck traffic on SR-29 and questioned where queued trucks would stage; Alexander said ordinance conditions require staging to occur off SR-29, with gates set back so trucks do not queue on the state right-of-way.

Applicant counsel Michael Cayusa said the operation will handle sand and filtered material only (no blasting), will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and that the purchasers own the contiguous property out to SR-29 so that ingress and egress issues had been addressed. He told the board the applicant had complied with staff and engineering requirements and urged approval limited to the haul-route amendment.

Several commissioners acknowledged safety concerns but indicated the county’s ability to require turn lanes is limited and ultimately lies with FDOT. Board members added language to the approval giving the board explicit authority to stop mining operations, by majority vote at a public meeting, if the mine is found to be in violation of any PUD condition; operations could only resume after the board approves a corrective plan by majority vote. The motion as read on the record also instructed staff to forward a recommendation to FDOT that a turn lane be required where the mine connects to SR-29.

The board voted individually and approved the amended PUD and the added enforcement language; the vote on the amendment was recorded in the meeting minutes as affirmative by the commissioners present.

What this means: The approved amendment authorizes the haul route shown on the applicant’s master concept plan, requires specific measures (stockpile placement, tire-wash, and Type D buffering along the southern boundary), prohibits truck staging on SR-29, limits operations to specified hours, and gives the board a formal mechanism to halt operations if PUD conditions are violated. The county will transmit the board’s recommendation for a turn lane to FDOT, but FDOT retains final authority on state-road improvements.

The board’s action does not itself compel FDOT to build a turn lane or to change the posted speed limit; residents who requested lane changes or speed reductions were told those matters are determined by FDOT and require its studies and approval.