LEVY COUNTY OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON PRIMATE FACILITY
Primate facility in Levy County
September 22, 2022
In recent weeks, the Levy County Board of County Commissioners and its Staff have received considerable public comment and media inquiries regarding the potential siting of a primate facility in Levy County. The County has not received any land use, zoning or building permit applications for such a facility, nor has the County granted any approvals for such a facility. Given the public interest in this matter, the County provides the following statement of facts known to the County at this time:
In the period of June 2022 through August 2022, County Staff received informal inquiries about siting a primate quarantine facility and/or primate research laboratory on parcels of land in Levy County. County staff verified that the parcels currently have a Future Land Use Category and Zoning of Forestry/Rural Residential (F/RR) and advised that F/RR Land Use and Zoning does not permit those uses. Further inquiry was received regarding changing the Land Use and Zoning of those parcels to Industrial in order to permit a laboratory and County staff responded that such a request would not receive a favorable staff recommendation for two main reasons: compatibility and creating spot zoning.
The Levy County Property Appraisers website reflects that the parcels of land were sold by L&T Cattle & Timber, LLC, a Florida limited liability company, to Joinn Laboratories, CA Inc., a California corporation, by Special Warranty Deed dated August 4, 2022 recorded in Official Record Book 1651, Page 562, of the Public Records of Levy County. The Levy County Board of County Commissioners has no role in the sale or purchase of land between private parties.
State law vests the County Commission with local Land Use, Zoning and Code Enforcement authority that can be exercised at such time as application is made to the County for a particular use on the parcels of land in question or at such time as the County receives a sufficient code enforcement complaint that land is being used without proper County approvals or permits. The County’s authority must be exercised in accordance with State law and in accordance with the County’s adopted Comprehensive Plan and County Code of Ordinances that is available at https://library.municode.com/fl/levy_county/codes/code_of_ordinances .
State law authorizes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to classify captive wildlife (Class I, Class II, Class III, Conditional and Prohibited) and to regulate the possession, sale and exhibition of classified wildlife through the issuance of licenses and permits. Information on the State regulation of captive wildlife can be found on the FWC website at https://myfwc.com/license/captive-wildlife/ or by contacting the FWC Captive Wildlife Office by phone: (850) 488-6253, email: CWApps@myFWC.com or mail: Captive Wildlife Office, 620 S Meridian Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399.
Federal law authorizes the US Department of Agriculture to administer the Federal “Animal Welfare Act” (7 U.S.C. 2131, et. seq.) that regulates the humane handling, care, treatment and transportation of animals by commercial animal dealers, exhibitors, transporters and research facilities. Information on the Federal regulation and issuance of licenses or registration under the Animal Welfare Act can be found on the USDA’s website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare/awa/ct_awa_program_information or by contacting the USDA Animal Care office by phone: (970) 494-7478 , email: animalcare@usda.gov, or mail: 2150 Centre Avenue Building B, Mailstop 3W11, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117.