WELLINGTON, Fla. — Neighbors have voiced frustrations about a manure operation within Wellington affecting their quality of life, including the noise, smell and effect on their property values.
New records WPTV has now obtained show Village of Wellington employees worked closely with the company operating the facility to avoid a zoning change, allowing the process of turning manure into other products to continue next to their homes.
WATCH BELOW: Village helped developer's son circumvent zoning rules, records show
The owner of the company operating the plant, Matthew Bellissimo, is the son of a well-known developer in Wellington.
Those records we obtained show senior staff sent Agricultural Blending Company a business plan to help dispose of or reuse the estimated 50,000 tons of horse manure produced in Wellington and decrease illegal dumping.
Emails WPTV also obtained show village staff also worked with Bellissimo to convince the Florida Department of Agriculture to classify his business operations as agricultural, which allows it to operate on the property owned by his father without asking the council for a zoning change.
NEIGHBORS FRUSTRATED
WPTV started looking into the company after it filed plans for a zoning change earlier this year to expand its operations and build a store. Then the Palm Beach Point Property Owners Association sent a letter to the Wellington Village Council, urging them to weigh the negative impact on nearby property values, air quality, and traffic while considering the project.
"The industrial nature of this operation is incompatible with the character of a neighborhood designed for residential and equestrian use," the letter read. "The large-scale handling of manure introduces air quality issues, including odor dispersion, which affects the quality of life for nearby residents. … From a zoning and land use perspective, the facility stands in stark contrast to the intended use of our community."
Aurora Rangel, who has a barn across the canal from the manure operations, said she's spending more than $20,000 a month to board her horses elsewhere because the smell and noise are unbearable.
"I have to rent a place to be at with my horses with my kids," she told WPTV reporter Ethan Stein. "It's annoying."
She said she's confused about the reason the business can currently operate on land zoned equestrian residential, which doesn’t allow transfer stations or other industrial uses like plants.
FARM OR TRANSFER STATION?
WPTV took her concern to the Village of Wellington, which told us it considers Agricultural Blending Company a farm because it creates an agricultural product.
"The manure blending use is 'Agricultural', aka 'Bona Fide Agriculture' as the manure is a 'farm product' as defined by Florida Statutes," spokesperson Liz Nunez told WPTV in an email. "Equestrian Residential permits agricultural uses, including equestrian, in addition to residential."
However, the records WPTV obtained show village staff worked with the company to get an "agricultural" classification, which would allow it to operate on the property without a rezoning change. The village even sent the company the business plan almost 10 years ago. The plan even offered several possible locations, expenses and potential profits. But, village staff said in the plan that zoning regulations could stop any manure transfer plant.
"The Equestrian Overlay Zoning District (EOZD) does not currently allow a manure transfer station," the plan reads. "If the site selected is located in the EOZD, there would have to be some changes to the EOZD to allow the manure transfer station."
Records WPTV obtained show village staff were attached to emails with Matthew Bellissimo, where he was working with FDEP employees to get the agency to classify his business as "agricultural and not industrial."
"It would be helpful if in the language of the registration that FDEP could include verbiage referencing that our business function is in the eyes of DEP, is 'Agricultural' and not 'Industrial,'" Matthew Bellissimo told FDEP. "It would be appreciated if FDEP could reiterate in writing, what was already mentioned verbally, that this process could serve as an effective substitute so that we remain a 'Mixing Station' and not a 'Transfer Station' in the registration letter."
Bellissimo then forwarded FDEP's response to village employee Michael Dell in an email dated April 15, 2022.
"FYI Regarding Mixing Process," Bellissimo wrote to the Village of Wellington staff. "So we have it in writing now in support of our process as an approved 'mixing process.'"
He would later call his business a "transfer station" rather than a blending station in emails informing village staff about the success of his business.
"As of this week, the last 2 holdouts, Justin Hickey and Salmana are now using our transfer station for their disposals," Matthew Bellimmiso wrote to employees in the Village of Wellington and Loxahatchee Groves. "So, we now have every licensed Hauler in Wellington & Lox minus Horeshoe Hauling. Justin joining our client base came as a particular surprise, but all are welcome here."
WHY ARE THEY ALLOWED TO OPERATE?
Matthew Bellissimo is the son of Mark Bellissimo, who is a developer for multiple projects and the owner of multiple horse shows in Wellington. State records show Mark Bellissimo's company owns the land where his son’s manure operation is located.
WPTV asked the village if the wealthy individuals were given any preference or if any other people were sent a business plan to develop a manure transfer station in a properly zoned area for the operation. However, the village insists Agricultural Blending Company can continue its operations because it's an agricultural product.
In a statement to WPTV, Wellington Village Manager Jim Barnes, the village's top employee, said the village made that determination because FDEP believes the material produced is an agricultural product.
"The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) previously classified the manure/material being processed as a solid waste," Barnes wrote. "They have since taken the position that the material is an agricultural product and as such, is permitted as agriculture. The FDEP has since issued a permit for the activity on the subject property."
However, a spokesperson for FDEP told WPTV it doesn't make evaluations if products at a facility are considered agricultural. The state agency also said the facility has not claimed an exemption for normal farming operations, but it is registered as a manure blending facility because it blends manure with soil.
WPTV also obtained an inspection from FDEP that took place in May 2024, where the facility is labeled as a Yard Trash Transfer station that processes manure and produces soil amendment. We also obtained a fire inspection where Palm Beach County Fire Rescue called the facility a "manure/shavings transfer" in May 2025. WPTV also received an email showing a village staff member referencing the trucks moving to the manure transfer station.
The Village of Wellington didn't answer WPTV's follow-up questions about the information from FDEP.