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Planning board approves site plan for proposed anaerobic‑digester natural‑gas facility
Summary
Hardee County planning staff recommended and the Planning & Zoning Board approved a site development plan for a proposed natural‑gas facility with two anaerobic digesters on roughly 160 acres, conditioned on coordination with county departments and a 12‑month expiration if permits are not pursued.
Planning staff presented and the Hardee County Planning & Zoning Board approved a site development plan for a proposed natural‑gas facility and anaerobic digesters submitted by Johnson Hardy Holdings LLC.
Jordan, the planning staff member who presented the application, told the board the property is located southeast of Bowling Green and "the property owners are requesting to develop a natural gas facility consisting of 2 anaerobic digesters, a warehouse, and office space." Jordan said the parcel covers "over a 160 acres" and recommended approval with a condition that "the site development plan approval shall expire after 12 months from the date of approval" unless permit activity is underway. Jordan also noted the owner must coordinate with the Hardee County Health Department and the Hardee County Building Department to obtain required permits.
During public Q&A a resident asked whether the methane produced would be injected on‑site or sent to a transmission main. Drew Wishman, the engineer of record, described the connection to the regional system: "the main transmission line is on County Line Road... it will be piped through a... 1.5 mile long pipe up to the main." Annalee May of Vanguard Renewables addressed operational monitoring and safety, saying: "At the facility, we will have operators that are on call 24/7, and they also have a monitoring device where they can monitor the facilities at all times from their handheld devices." The record also includes a disclosure that a board member had discussed the anaerobic digester process with a third party prior to the hearing; that disclosure was entered into the record.
After questions and brief clarification, a board member moved to approve the site development plan with the staff‑recommended 12‑month expiration condition; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The approval is conditioned on the permit coordination Jordan described; the motion recorded in the meeting text referenced the application and the 12‑month timing requirement.
