Marion denies request for water bottler

MARION COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - In a 5-0 vote, Marion County Commissioners rejected a special use permit to allow production and transportation of water for bottling purposes from an existing well on 159 acres in Citra. The property is located off Northeast 175th Street Road at the end of Northeast 167th Place.

C. Ray Greene, III, and Angus S. Hastings requested the special use permit. Commissioners rejected the special use permit for two main reasons, stating that it is not compatible with the surrounding area, and it could adversely impact the public interest.

The property is located at the northern end of Black Sink and was historically used for lime rock mining operations. However, the applicants wanted to transition from its mining operation to a water pumping operation.

The applicants planned to pump 331,000 gallons per day of water into tanker trucks, which they would then transfer to water bottling plants located outside of Marion County.

Though the board denied the request, the applicants may appeal the decision within 30 days to the Circuit Court of Marion County.