After four hours of hearing a land owner explain why a limestone mine should be allowed in northwest Marion County and hearing neighbors plead the contrary, Marion County commissioners finally got a chance to talk it over themselves Tuesday evening.



In the end, with an auditorium full of stakeholders looking on, the commission voted unanimously to deny the special use permit CB Three LLC needed to mine 167 acres east of Northwest Gainesville Road and south of Northwest 100th Street, also known as Martin Road.



"All the questions here come back to compatibility," Commissioner Charlie Stone said. "If this were 25 years ago, it would have been different, but now it would affect the quality of life (for nearby residents) and be a detriment. I just can't come to grips with it being compatible."



Commissioner Barbara Fitos, who offered up the motion to deny the permit, thanked the audience - both those there to support the mine and those in opposition - for being civil to each other.



"Just because something is legal doesn't make it right," she said. "I make a motion for denial."



The vote was met with a cheer from an audience that started arriving before 1:30 p.m. and waited five hours for an answer.



For many in attendance, it was the answer they wanted to hear.



"Mr. (Steve) Gray (the lawyer who represented CB Three) covered a lot of ground talking about the mine, and he left a lot of gaps," said resident Ron Grant, who had a petition signed by more than 200 fellow residents who oppose the mine. "If they blasted the mine, it would collapse our wells and be blasting our aquifer. There's no good that could come from it."



The Marion County Zoning Commission recommended denying the special use permit, but the final decision rested with the County Commission.



On Tuesday, the commissioners first listened to Gray highlight the plan for the site and then opened the floor to the public. Three hours later, residents and others in Marion County were still coming forward to voice their displeasure with the idea of mining the land, which borders two old mines, small horse farms and a few residences.



"I can't believe we are even entertaining this idea," nearby resident David Sullivan told the commission. "What do you tell these people who live around there?



"You're going to destroy them. You'll ruin their land values and break their hearts."



Steve Counts, CB Three's main shareholder, spoke after the opposition about the mines in the county that his company, SCI, currently operates and how he has never had a complaint. He spoke about the growing demand, both in the county and the state, for limestone and how a new pit would create several new jobs in the community.



Counts also addressed the issues many had with the blasting, explaining how the process had changed over the years and how his company's blast test scores were well below what is required by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.



Letters from neighbors to Counts' other mines were also read to the commission and audience, saying that the mines had not been an issue.



"We don't want to hurt our neighbors, we want to be good neighbors," Counts said. "There are ways to mine and be good neighbors. We want to take care of the people around us."



Dozens of residents and operators of nearby horse farms formed lines behind the microphones at opposite ends of the auditorium, all of them speaking out against the mine. Farm owners worried that the noise from the mine would spook their horses and cause injuries.



Mothers worried about the increase of traffic on Gainesville Road and the safety of their children riding school buses.



Many just talked about how, while the Martin area used to be a mecca for mining, the community had grown too large.



"There's too many good people out there now," Wes Price told commissioners. "This area is evolving into a residential area with small farms and horses. Don't let this mine happen."



The commissioners didn't.



"On one hand, this land is farmland, springs and not appropriate for mining, but I know that Mr. Counts is a good man and true to his word," Commissioner Charlie Stone reasoned. "This was a good mining area 30 years ago, but the community has grown up around it."