JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The director of the city’s blight initiative program is proposing a plan to put more money toward helping clean up dump sites that are overrun with trash.
Jacksonville Blight Initiative Program Director Al Ferraro told News4JAX the proposed bill seeks to get funding for cameras and overtime hours to help combat blight caused by illegal dumping of trash happening across Jacksonville.
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Blight in the form of illegal dumping is not only unsightly and expensive to clean up, but it’s also unpleasant for folks who have to live near it, especially for folks who live near this dump site on Ken Knight Drive.
“It’s bad to come out here and see that, but I have no choice,” a neighbor told News4JAX.
This neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, said he has witnessed people dumping tires in the middle of the day.
“They put them in a trailer and dump them right there,” she said.
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In recent years, a section of Ken Knight Drive has become notorious for illegal dumping.
Every time the city sends out a crew to clean it up, people who don’t live in that community go back to the area with even more trash to dump — from tires and construction waste to yard waste and mattresses.
Ferraro toured the site and told News4JAX that this is happening frequently in many areas of the city.
“There’s a lot of areas of town that are really vulnerable. They don’t have the money to clean it up, and it’s very difficult, and people take advantage of that,” Ferraro said.
There are also illegal dumpsites away from residential areas.
“We have people who drop off dumpsters that caught on fire, landscaping, and building materials. There are paint cans out here and tires,” Ferraro said.
Ferraro said they have to act quickly to put an end to this behavior because there is no telling what all of this is doing to the environment.
“We first want to prevent this from happening. That’s what we want to do, but we want to catch who is doing this so that we can hold them accountable for what they are doing to our neighborhoods, communities and our waterways,” Ferrardo said.
In an effort to do that, Ferraro is proposing the city purchase more surveillance cameras that can be hidden and record people illegally dumping as well as their license plates. He said it’s time to come down hard on people who treat public property like it’s their personal trash can.
In addition to that, Ferraro is proposing overtime pay for city workers who are tasked with clearing illegal dump sites.
If you see someone illegally dumping waste, you are urged to call police, especially if you are able to get the license plate number and video of them dumping trash.
Penalties for illegal trash dumping in Florida can range from hefty fines to up to five years in prison.