State Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, is weighing in on a recent lawsuit against Hendry County over a new primate breeding facility being built there.
Bullard, whose district includes Hendry County, called for public meetings about the facility earlier this year.
He said meetings would have given Primera, the company behind the project, a chance to explain its operation.
Bullard is concerned about the company’s practices, and the type of animal Primera plans to import called a “macaque.” The animals carried the Ebola virus to a lab in Virginia, which was the subject of the 1994 book “The Hot Zone.”
He said Primera has given no response outside of a press release.
And he said that lack of answers is what brought about the lawsuit.
“I think the lawsuit is a reflection of the individuals in Hendry County saying, ‘We have too many unanswered questions. The idea that there was no public hearing, the idea that you’re basically telling me there’s going to be a facility with 'X' amount of primates,’” he said.
The animal rights group the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed suit against Hendry County on behalf of local residents earlier this month.
The group said Hendry County violated the Sunshine Law when it approved the facility without holding public meetings.
