HENDRY COUNTY, Fla.- Thousands of monkeys are bred in Hendry County yearly. They're trained to be used for biomedical research.
Facilities have been open for about ten years, but not all residents are familiar with them.
Billy Stephens told Fox 4 he's lived in Hendry all his life and had no idea. "Never knew, never knew there was the first one much less three."
With a fourth farm in the works less than a mile from his home, Stephens added his name to the plaintiffs suing Hendry County, claiming the county violated state Sunshine Laws by not having a public hearing before approving the fourth primate breeding farm. "The public needs to know about this. These are monkeys, they're dangerous! They carry diseases."
The county attorney refused to address questions, issuing this statement: "Hendry County did not violate the Sunshine Law, we made that very clear in our arguments here today, and we will wait the judges ruling and take action based on what that ruling is."
Billy Stephens said he is prepared to keep fighting.
After hearing both sides, the judge said they each have five days to submit new documents. He will review those documents, and all the information in the case, review and make a final decision.
