MONTICELLO — Many concerned Jefferson County residents crammed inside the commission annex chambers. Others stood in the doorway or within earshot — just to hear what Trulieve, the county’s largest employer, had to say about its massive indoor cannabis grow facility.
The Jefferson County Commission held a special meeting to allow residents to be heard and provide the company with an opportunity to explain its operations and address concerns.
For nearly two hours, more than a dozen residents voiced deep concerns over what some described as a “tremendous smell” wafting through the rural county more than a mile from the site. Others complained about constant noise and mechanical hums while others peppered Trulieve representatives and a consultant with questions about elevated nitrates and possible pollutants in water discharge.
Others said property values have plummeted since Trulieve opened its 80-acre cultivation campus in Monticello, the “crown jewel” of the company’s grow operations with 11 buildings spanning one million square feet and its own electrical substation.
Despite Trulieve’s attempt to answer questions, some Jefferson residents said they weren’t convinced much would change from a David versus Goliath-style battle with the medical marijuana industry’s largest company. Yet, two state agencies — the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Suwanee River Water Management District — have put Trulieve on notice for possible violations tied to its permit, excessive pollutants, erosion and discharge.
More than a dozen speakers were heard. Louise Jones, who lives a mile and a half away from the site, was one of them. She walked away from the meeting feeling like, “they didn’t address anything.”
“I asked a very specific question. What are the nitrate levels in the holding pond,” said Jones after the meeting. “Nobody said anything, and that’s one of the problems. What are the nitrates they are dumping into the stream? I don’t know what they’ve done. I’m not saying that they are purposely out there just not caring, but they are not caring enough to notice it and repair it.”
While Trulieve insists it is in compliance and aims to be a good neighbor, it’s received heightened scrutiny over water quality issues from residents and elected officials at the local and state level.
Jefferson County Commissioner Austin Hosford was the only official to voice concerns during the meeting. He said there are “very real concerns, in my opinion, that have not been adequately addressed.”
“These are not minor inconveniences,” he said. “These are direct impacts on these people’s homes, these people’s lives, their day-to-day lives, their health. So when we say on this board to be a good neighbor, it’s not a suggestion. It’s an expectation from all businesses.”
Several Trulieve employees dressed in logo stitched shirts quietly sat in the audience as the chosen company reps addressed the frustrated crowd. At times, when Trulieve officials talked about their intent to be good neighbors, it triggered chuckles and jeers from those listening.
Trulieve has more than 270 employees at its Jefferson County facility, making it the county’s largest employer. Rising concerns about water quality prompted the Florida Department of Health to set up a temporary water quality testing distribution site.
It was also hit with a letter from the Suwannee River Water Management District regarding what it called “apparent violations” and requested a maintenance plan by April 24 to correct them or face unspecified amount of fines.
Trulieve sent back a four-page responses that outlined the company’s operations, requested photo and video evidence of the allegations and stood firm that they are on the right side of regulations.
“Trulieve does not believe that non-compliance with the (Environmental Resource Permit) or with SRWMD rules and regulations has occurred,” said Eric Powers, chief legal officer for Trulieve, in the April 24 response letter.
A day after the Jefferson County Commission meeting, the company got good news when Rep. Allison Tant took to Facebook to say that the Department of Health’s testing of six or seven wells in a half mile radius of Trulieve all came back “within normal levels.”
“This is very reassuring,” she said. “Especially so since some Trulieve officials told me the testing would be positive.”
At the meeting the day before, there was discussion about independent water testing that was not conducted by Trulieve.
“If the commission wants to work on having a program that is run independently that can be (funded) for folks who live in the area to get their own testing, we’d certainly be willing to do that,” said Christine Hersey, chief corporate affairs and strategy officer at Trulieve.
After the meeting, when asked by a Democrat reporter if she could answer follow-up questions, Hersey declined and said “I’m not interested in that.”
Some residents who spoke questioned how invested Trulieve was in finding a resolution to some of their concerns, adding none of the company representatives who showed up live in the county.
Hersey, during the meeting, said Trulieve would “absolutely commit” to exploring additional approaches toward addressing some of the concerns raised. But she was careful not to over commit.
“I don’t know something off the top of my head that we can tell you that we will do, but we will absolutely explore additional odor mitigation and noise control technologies because we are hearing what you are saying.”
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.