"Secretive" Monkey Breeding Facility Lawsuit Moves Forward
Posted March 10, 2015 06:35 am
LABELLE,
FL - Some Hendry County residents can breathe a sigh of
relief as a lawsuit filed on their behalf regarding the
building of a secretive monkey breeding facility now
moves forward.
Christopher Berry with the Animal Legal Defense Fund is the lead attorney representing residents who filed a complaint against the county for approving a monkey breeding facility on approximately 50 acres without informing the public. Berry says that's against the law. Hendry County moved to dismiss the complaint filed by residents, but Circuit Judge James Sloan refused to dismiss it.
"The whole point of Florida's Sunshine Law is to
ensure the public has the right to participate in
important decisions that affect them," says Berry.
According to Berry, residents didn't find out about the
facility's approval until after the fact. He says
records show that SoFlo Ag, the company behind the
facility, plans to bring in 3,200 monkeys from overseas
to breed and sell for use in lab experiments. One
concern is they could bring several diseases with them,
like Ebola and tuberculosis.
Berry says the "secretive nature" of the company behind
the plan is especially troubling.
"Quite frankly the business behind this primate facility
is one of the most secretive and suspicious operations
I've ever seen," he says. "Neither the community nor the
county should be comfortable letting them build this
facility without more information."
He says SoFlo Ag registered a shell corporation as its
managing member, but there are no names or phone numbers
available for either company. He says the only address
listed for the headquarters is a U.S. Post Office box.
Investigations will continue as the suit moves forward,
and according to the county, the complaint will be
addressed.
According to a press release from county administrator
Charles Chapman, "Hendry County stands by the rights
provided to our property owners contained within the
language of our comprehensive plan and land development
code."
Photos/graphics; links; added and updated by the Observer | Photo: PETA
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