Dr. Gloria Horning, who has helped the Wedgewood community organize against the landfills in their neighborhood, has sent the county the following letter:
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Gentlemen:
I am writing on behalf of the citizens of the Wedgewood Communities concerning the fire that continues to smolder in the Rolling Hills C&D Landfill.
Our neighborhood has been, and remains ground zero for unregulated dumping allowed by the county and the state for over a decade. Hydrogen sulfide and other toxins affect our homes, parks and yards. Now we are ground zero for the toxic fire and smoke coming from the landfill that you causally refer to as a “nuisanceâ€.
Perhaps you do not understand the impact of simply “nuisances†such as burning brush or vegetation. Perhaps, before it is abolished, you could go to the EPA website on wood smoke and find out just how hazardous the chemical compounds of wood smoke are, especially on vulnerable populations. Here is the link.
After the explosion of the black liquor at the IP paper mill the response was swift. Homes were cleaned, people housed away from their homes, health surveys and outreach was immediately available. In Wedgewood, we are still waiting for a response to an environmental hazard affecting our health.
The Wedgewood community has suffered enough. Enough is enough. We demand testing of the soil, additional air monitoring, and the same response provided to the communities near the paper mill. The health of our communities is just as important as the neighborhoods near the paper mill. For years, we have “lived” with toxic air, soil and water and now we are hostages in our homes because of what our government refers to as a simple “nuisanceâ€.
Immediate action to ensure our safety is your responsibility. Please let us know what action the County is taking to address the health issues facing our neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Gloria G.Horning, Ph.D.
Wedgewoodb Rolling Hills/ Olive Heights HOA.
Jill,
The copy I was sent was sent to the Escambia County Administrator and local DEP head, but it must have also been sent to the EPA office in Atlanta.
Rick, what specific agency was this letter sent to?
Hell, I should be dead by now based on the EPA’s Wood Smoke article. My family and I grew up in a home that was heated by wood. I had to help cut wood to heat our home. The countless times the back draft would cause smoke to come back down the chimney would fill the living room. My parents are close to 90 and have no side effects from such. I still love the smell of a chimney fire in the early mornings. Come on county and state, give them what they want. MONEY and anything that is free. If that’s not true, then lets see who will turn down any offer.
What about all the talk of Lumon May about how he “was going to stay on this for the community” speech on camera last year? Once again – no substantive action that provides relief for the community – or even a specific plan for final closure and remediation .
The problem appears to be that Escambia County Officials and Pensacola City Officials think that most of us here aren’t worth protecting. County and City Officials appear to see themselves as King makers and buddy protectors. They appear to see the rest of us in the County and City as victims waiting to be sadistically harassed, attacked financially and ignored when we report apparent illegal/criminal actions.
City Officials appear to deliberately violate the United States Constitution and Florida Laws because obeying these laws would diminish their illegally gained power and presumed false authority. A few of the many instances where City Officials violate Florida Laws:
by appointing members with a conflict of interest to Pensacola Advisory Boards to push through actions and/or ordinances, especially regarding land deals and construction, which means gain to them or their friends and potential harm to the people of Pensacola
by illegally using the Land Development Code (Mr. Spencer) to create and enforce illegal construction demands when the Florida Building Codes are the only ones authorized by Florida Law
by illegally operating a grand theft operation, especially regarding Historic Buildings, out of City Hall for many years which resulted in them orchestrating the theft of many of our historic artifacts
by protecting the contractor, who confessed to committing grand theft against us, by refusing to arrest him when I asked that they arrest him and return our stolen historic artifacts (over 500 heart pine veranda spindles and railing, beautiful mahogany and heart pine overmantels, slate fireplace surrounds, shutter hardware, etc. all made for the house and installed on it for over 115 years). They refused to arrest him and allowed him to keep everything he had stolen from us.
A few of the many instances where City Officials violate the United States Constitution:
by closing authorized businesses without due process as sadistic punishment and as a method to force law-abiding people off their privately owned property (they illegally closed my business in 2005 without due process (12 years ago) and still refuse to lift the illegal prohibition on operating my business as I was authorized by the Pensacola City Council in January, 2001)
by illegally enforcing the law on some instead of applying all laws equally and fairly (won’t enforce the law on their friends and punish some who are in compliance with the law (me))
by illegally persecuting law-abiding individuals who have reported City Officials’ apparent illegal/criminal actions to higher authorities
County Officials also appear to violate the United States Constitution and Florida Laws for the same reason City Officials do. A few of the many instances where County Officials violate Florida Laws:
The Florida Constitution requires County Sheriffs to enforce the law in municipalities where the residents pay county taxes in addition to city taxes. We in Pensacola pay City and County taxes. Sheriff Morgan came into Pensacola to campaign for reelection and put billboards up to remind us to lock our cars. Sheriff Morgan refuses to address law breaking in the City. I reported the violation of Florida Laws regarding City Officials appointing illegal members to Advisory Boards, regarding City Officials illegally using the Land Development Code for construction (councilman Spencer is doing that now regarding demolition of historic buildings), City Officials illegally closing my authorized business without due process and refusing to lift the illegal prohibition on operating my business, City Officials allowed the contractor who committed grand theft on my historic building to keep everything.
Florida is in the list of the top 12 Corrupt States in the Country and Escambia is one of the most corrupt counties in a corrupt state. It appears that the only recourse in stopping the massive corruption here is to report this to the United States Attorney General, address: U.S. Department of Justice, Attn: Mr. Jeff Sessions, U. S. Attorney General, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001 or Homeland Security, address: The Honorable John F. Kelly, Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C. 20528. It appears that no one in Florida will stop the corruption.