Escambia County will be handing off some toxic assets this week. The move should set the stage for brighter days.
“It’s more of what I call a clean up thing,†said Escambia County Administrator Randy Oliver. “You know the old expression: it’s not over until the paper work is done.â€
During their meeting Thursday, county commissioners will convey three out of four EPA Superfund sites to the City of Pensacola. The Escambia Treating Company Superfund Site was roped off by the Environmental Protection Agency due to contamination issues; after a lengthy rehabilitation, the properties are now being passed to the city in the hopes they will be spruced up and developed.
Oliver said the parcels have been passed from the feds to the state of Florida, then on to the county and now to the city. The fourth parcel still has a tax lien against it, but once it is determined that no one cares to pay the fines and take over ownership then it too will be passed on to the city.
“I don’t know why anybody wants this, because EPA’s got a $100 or $120 million lien on the property,†Oliver said.