A Lake County couple's rural paradise went bad when a corporate medical marijuana farm moved in next door
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Photo by Rob Bartlett
Ted and Vickie Miller at home in Eustis
The noise started on an early morning in February, as Ted and Vickie Miller were sound asleep and snoring in the confines of their farm-style home off County Road 44A in Eustis. It sounded like an engine cranking up at first. Ted sat up in bed, confused and panicked, with that feeling of going from unconscious to incensed in a matter of seconds. "What are you doing?" Vickie asked him.
"I think somebody's stealing my tractor," Ted told her, leaping from between the sheets to grab one of his rifles and run outside to the back porch.
The backyard, however, was dark. Ted's equipment was undisturbed. But the noise hadn't stopped.
"What the hell?" Ted wondered aloud, as he peered into the dark, dense woods behind their five-acre plot of land, where they've lived for 29 years. He could smell the skunk-like aroma of cannabis wafting through the air.
That's when it struck him: The noise – the low-hum buzzing, like a gasoline-powered generator humming around the corner, like the sound of a jet engine that's idling on a taxiway – was coming from the weed farm next door.
That was four months ago. The noise hasn't stopped since.
The smell of cannabis coming from the facility is something they can deal with, the Millers say. Though they lean socially conservative in most respects and claim they're not recreational marijuana users, Ted and Vickie acknowledge the importance of the state's medical marijuana program for patients who need it. They also claim to have had no problem with the previous owners of the cannabis cultivation facility next door, the Treadwell Nursery, which used open-air greenhouses and fans – which aren't noisy – and was owned by family members.
That changed when California-based company MedMen bought the Treadwell Nursery in September. The company revamped the facility with massive climate-controlled Dutch-style greenhouses that reduce humidity levels and produce a higher-quality, healthier product. And when MedMen cranked up the dehumidifiers on that morning in February, that's when the trouble started.
It's not just the noise, either, the Millers say. Bright lights from the facility shine onto the front of their property and onto some of their neighbors' properties. Freight truck traffic on what used to be a quiet country road has increased significantly in recent months, which the Millers say worries their neighbors with children who ride the school bus.
Ted and Vickie Miller at home in Eustis
The noise started on an early morning in February, as Ted and Vickie Miller were sound asleep and snoring in the confines of their farm-style home off County Road 44A in Eustis. It sounded like an engine cranking up at first. Ted sat up in bed, confused and panicked, with that feeling of going from unconscious to incensed in a matter of seconds. "What are you doing?" Vickie asked him.
"I think somebody's stealing my tractor," Ted told her, leaping from between the sheets to grab one of his rifles and run outside to the back porch.
The backyard, however, was dark. Ted's equipment was undisturbed. But the noise hadn't stopped.
"What the hell?" Ted wondered aloud, as he peered into the dark, dense woods behind their five-acre plot of land, where they've lived for 29 years. He could smell the skunk-like aroma of cannabis wafting through the air.
That's when it struck him: The noise – the low-hum buzzing, like a gasoline-powered generator humming around the corner, like the sound of a jet engine that's idling on a taxiway – was coming from the weed farm next door.
That was four months ago. The noise hasn't stopped since.
The smell of cannabis coming from the facility is something they can deal with, the Millers say. Though they lean socially conservative in most respects and claim they're not recreational marijuana users, Ted and Vickie acknowledge the importance of the state's medical marijuana program for patients who need it. They also claim to have had no problem with the previous owners of the cannabis cultivation facility next door, the Treadwell Nursery, which used open-air greenhouses and fans – which aren't noisy – and was owned by family members.
That changed when California-based company MedMen bought the Treadwell Nursery in September. The company revamped the facility with massive climate-controlled Dutch-style greenhouses that reduce humidity levels and produce a higher-quality, healthier product. And when MedMen cranked up the dehumidifiers on that morning in February, that's when the trouble started.
It's not just the noise, either, the Millers say. Bright lights from the facility shine onto the front of their property and onto some of their neighbors' properties. Freight truck traffic on what used to be a quiet country road has increased significantly in recent months, which the Millers say worries their neighbors with children who ride the school bus.
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