A citizen group is challenging the Florida Department of Transportation’s environmental review process for a massive sand excavation project near Crystal River, arguing the proposed Eastern Borrow Site deserves independent scrutiny as a standalone sand mine. Members of Stop the Sand Mine filed two formal objections on May 11 and May 13, 2026, with the Southwest Florida Water Management District over FDOT’s plan to excavate 345 acres in a sensitive springs recharge area.
The controversy centers on where the state plans to obtain millions of cubic yards of sand needed for Phase 3A of the Suncoast Parkway extension through Citrus County. FDOT wants to excavate approximately 313 acres of active digging area to produce more than 5.1 million cubic yards of fill material for the toll road project, according to state records filed this month.
“This is a major excavation project,” wrote Stop the Sand Mine committee chair Colleen Farmer and co-chair Tony Ayo in their formal filings. “The public deserves full, transparent and independent review before this excavation proceeds.” The citizen group argues the massive scale of the proposed borrow pit makes it more than just a support feature for highway construction and warrants separate environmental assessment.
The Eastern Borrow Site would be located east of Crystal River near the proposed parkway corridor, in an area the environmental group says is critical for springs recharge. The objections came after Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, which oversees the Suncoast Parkway project, submitted updated documentation to water management officials regarding the excavation plans.
The dispute highlights growing concerns about the environmental impact of the Suncoast Parkway extension as it pushes north through Citrus County. Stop the Sand Mine contends that treating the borrow pit as merely an accessory to a highway project approved decades ago fails to account for the significant environmental disruption the excavation would cause in the sensitive Crystal River area.
Originally reported by Citrus County Chronicle – Crystal River
Sources: Citrus County Chronicle – Crystal River
