RUSKIN (970 WFLA) -- It's probably Florida's biggest "grow house"... and it's definitely within the law.
A medical marijuana company and a Ruskin nursery have gotten the go-ahead from the state of Florida to open a 50,000 square foot indoor facility to grow cannabis for medical purposes.
It's a joint venture, so to speak, between AltMed Enterprises, a Sarasota company involved in the development, production and dispensing of medical cannabis, and Plants of Ruskin, a family-owned nursery with decades of experience, mostly in tomatoes.
AltMed CEO Michael Smullen says the grow house could eventually expand to 150,000 square feet over the next year and a half, depending on demand for the crop. He expects to have as many as 80 people on the payroll once the buildout is complete.
Smullen says Alt Med's executives came from the pharmaceutical industry, and they hope to bring that sort of approach to the development of medical pot-based products.
The Ruskin nursery, Plants of Ruskin, is family-owned and has a history going back decades. The building on U.S. 41 that will house the pot farm was previously used by a local farmers' co-op.
Photo courtesy: Colin Trethewey/ AltMed Enterprises