A dirty shame

Charlotte County has solidified its dubious distinction as the fill-dirt mining capital of Southwest Florida.

On Monday, the county commissioners had a chance to rein in future mining operations by enacting a temporary moratorium to allow staff to tighten lax regulations.

But the commissioners declined. Instead, staff and mostly pro-mining "stakeholders" will meet in the next 60 days to tweak the existing ordinance on fill-dirt mining.

Two months isn't enough time to address an industry that is leaving a big mark on the county's landscape. Dirt mining has long-term environmental and financial consequences and should be given greater scrutiny. This time around, environmentalists should have a seat at the table when mining regulations are rewritten.

Charlotte's loose laws, relatively cheap land prices and a growing demand for fill dirt have spurred the boom. The county has 22 active major mines, about twice the number in either Sarasota or DeSoto county.

Last year, the DeSoto commissioners mustered the political will to impose a moratorium on mining to give their staff time to toughen regulations. It's a shame that Charlotte leaders didn't show similar resolve.

Commissioner Adam Cummings proposed a valid compromise: Cut the length of the moratorium to six months or less, but enact an ordinance requiring operators of mines in the permitting pipeline to follow tougher rules. Instead, his fellow commissioners chose to bow to special interests.

Talk of a moratorium helped spur a last-minute surge in mining-permit applications, which rose from 25 to 33 in one week. But the rush didn't dissuade the board from taking the word of a representative of moratorium opponents, land-use attorney Rob Berntsson, who vowed that operators of new mines would voluntarily follow stricter rules and pay higher fees. That route would be "cheaper than suing" the county, Berntsson told the commissioners.

"They gave us their word. We take them at their word," Commissioner Tricia Duffy said.

If the commissioners are going to take such a naive approach, they should be required to get their own permit -- for burying their heads in the sand.