The United States Sugar Corporation is an agriculture business that was founded in 1931 in Clewiston, Florida. The company produces orange juice products, sugar cane and refined sugar from several acres of farmland it owns in Glades, Palm Beach and other counties.
On December 31, 2009, US Sugar Corp was sued in Palm Beach Circuit Court by Florida Rock Industries, a Jacksonville based rock mining company, for breach of contract and the right to pursue construction.
The lawsuit alleges the parties entered into an agreement to allow Florida Rock Industries to build a rock quarry in sugar cane fields near Clewiston, FL. Plaintiff contends US Sugar Corp breached its contract with FL Rock Industries, denying it the right to build a rock quarry on 7500 acres of land in the Florida Everglades.
According to US Sugar Corp, its agreement with the rock mining company was terminated when the company failed to obtain the necessary permits to commence building the quarry by the end of December 2009.
In the complaint, the mining company said it suffered losses of at least $1.4 million lining up permits for a proposed quarry near Clewiston. But, U.S. Sugar recently said it believes the contract to develop the quarry was terminated because Florida Rock had not obtained all the necessary permits by the end of December.
