ORLANDO SENTINEL

January 10, 2008

Dorms for citrus workers shot down

Eloisa Gonzalez, Sentinel Staff Writer

BARTOW, FLA. - After listening to complaints from dozens of residents who feared their quiet, rural lifestyles were at stake, Polk County commissioners rejected a citrus company's plan to build dormitories for migrant workers.

The five commissioners unanimously voted Wednesday to deny Tri-Ben Groves permission to build three dormitories on one of its rural properties near Fort Meade.

Commissioners said the buildings were incompatible with the community's small-town feel.

Although the company promised to bus the workers to groves and stores, commissioners said they still worried that they wouldn't be able to access emergency medical services, including hospitals and police assistance, without transportation.

"They were too isolated," Commissioner Bob English said after the meeting. "They didn't have control over their daily lives. It was too restricted."

The applicant said the groundbreaking federal program is a way to hire temporary, documented workers needed for labor-intensive jobs such as harvesting citrus.

The company planned to house 132 men from Mexico. The men work six days a week for eight months. The citrus company planned to have on-site supervision, recreational facilities and transportation available. The men would be bused to go shopping on Sundays.

A few citrus harvesters urged the commissioners to approve the housing project for workers with H-2A visas, reminding them the documented workers are critical.

But most of the 150 people at the meeting were against the project. They wore large yellow buttons labeled with "No Labor Camp."

Lindsey and Lou Smith, both 48, feared for the safety of their eight children living at home.

"I don't raise oranges. I don't raise animals," Lindsey Smith said. "I raise children."

Although the workers underwent a rigorous interview process, the father said he didn't know anything about the dozens of men that could be living about 1,700 feet away from his home. He particularly worried for the safety of his two daughters.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable with 132 men of any nationality," he said.

Although the company planned to place the dormitories in the middle of the orange grove to reduce visibility and noise, residents said they were worried about potential alcohol abuse, environmental, noise, traffic and safety. They also complained the dormitories were not "compatible" with an area mainly occupied by single-family homes.

"I feel the comprehensive plan and land-development code supported the location," said Jack Brandon, an attorney for the company.

The company will continue to rent homes scattered across Polk County for the workers.

Bo Bentley, a manager of the Winter Haven-based Bentley Brothers citrus company, of which Tri-Ben is a subsidiary, hired 95 H-2A workers from Mexico for the first time last year. He said he wanted to build his own housing because it would be more cost-effective than paying "unfair" landlords.

Under the program, Bentley must provide his workers with free housing that meets strict state and federal regulations -- requirements that other landlords don't often meet.

"The only option for us to get a quality, legal work [source] is through the H-2A program," Bentley said during the meeting. "Labor is currently in a critical condition."