Jacksonville debris dump sites causing headaches for neighbors

Debris collected from Hurricane Irma being gathered at 12 sites around city

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The debris piles from Hurricane Irma continue to grow around Jacksonville.

The city has set up 12 temporary dump sites all over town that are quickly filling up with massive amounts of tree debris.

But those debris piles are raising concerns with people who live near the dump sites.

Mike Harvey has owned his Ortega area home on Jacksonville's Westside for 20 years and said he enjoys the quiet neighborhood.

But that quiet has been shattered since the city open a temporary landfill nearby for storm debris.

“It’s been like a nightmare. You get up at seven in the morning, the bucket trucks are banging and the cranes are banging and it don’t stop until 7 o’clock at night,” Harvey said. “It’s all day long.”

Harvey said he and his neighbors were not warned that the site would be set up near their homes; it just appeared after the storm.

He said the dust and noise are so bad that he is either forced to stay inside when they are grinding the trees to mulch, or he has to leave his home and wait until they finish for the day.

“I know it had to be done. I got no problem with it having to be done. They should have planned a little bit better and moved it further away from houses,” Harvey said.

City officials said they are aware of the problem and are doing the best they can to accommodate residents.

The city is still completing its first phase of debris collection.

Workers will make a second pass, so the headaches for neighbors near the dump sites could continue for another month or so.


About the Author:

Jim Piggott is the reporter to count on when it comes to city government and how it will affect the community.