Southeast Gainesville residents demand closure of Florence Landfill

Press release from Respect Southeast Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Residents from Southeast Gainesville who live in close proximity to the Florence Landfill gathered for the Dump the Dump Neighborhood Landfill Meeting on April 27 at the TB McPherson Center. Hosted by Respect Southeast Gainesville and co-sponsored by the Sierra Club Suwannee-St. Johns Group, the meeting brought together 45 concerned neighbors to voice their objections to the Florence Landfill and demand action.

Attendees expressed frustration over the numerous negative impacts of the landfill, which is directly adjacent to schools, homes, parks, and churches. These impacts range from lingering rotten egg odors, disruptive noise pollution, dust, and well water contamination, to large heavy truck traffic on a narrow main road. Due to frequent heavy truck traffic, the main road is compromised with numerous potholes.
The Southeast Gainesville community has long borne the brunt of the landfill’s operations. Barbara Gaither, an impacted resident, lamented, “We can’t open our windows, and the trucks are so loud it sounds like thunder.”
A neighbor who requested anonymity echoed these sentiments, noting the dire state of the neighborhood’s infrastructure: “Because of the heavily damaged roads, we don’t get to own nice things here in Southeast Gainesville.”
Another neighbor struck a chord with her impassioned plea: “Where do the Florences live? The dump should be in their own neighborhood.”
The meeting also shed light on the landfill’s history, including the 1994 Special Use Permit (SUP) that explicitly stated it was to be operated temporarily with the intent to close the site and rezone the land for residential use. However, recent legislative maneuvers, including a questionable extension granted by the Governor’s office, have perpetuated the landfill’s presence in the community.
In a pivotal moment during a 2023 Board of County Commissioners meeting, Alachua County Solid Waste Director Gus Olmos revealed the County would have two decades of construction and demolition (C&D) debris disposal capacity with the Florence landfill closed – further calling into question the need for operating a C&D dump in a residential neighborhood.
In light of these developments, residents and government officials alike have recognized the importance of implementing Zero Waste Strategies and prioritizing sustainable waste management practices. Specifically, Florida Statute Section 403.706(2) underscores the state’s commitment to recycling construction and demolition debris, signaling a clear mandate for change.
As calls for action echo throughout Southeast Gainesville, neighbors implore the Florences to expand recycling efforts, prioritize deconstruction over demolition, and ultimately “RIGHT THIS WRONG! DUMP THE DUMP! Close the dump in our neighborhood now!”
For more information and ways to help, visit RespectSoutheastGainesville.org
It is sad that discrimination still exists in 2024!! If SE Gainesville was govern by predominantly “Elites”, we would not have this issue!
Yes, Child of God, it is very sad that discrimination still exist today, and these groups who want to shut down this business are the ones who are discriminating. This business has been in operation for a long time on the east side of town, offering employment. Past and current City and County commissions can’t figure out how to get businesses to move to the eastside so that they can offer employment. This family 25(+) years ago risked their money to not only clean up the existing site but turn it into a long-time functioning business that has offer employment on the eastside of town. Now these people want a business who has been offering employment, where it is needed the most, to be shut down. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on those people for discriminating against the good people on the eastside of town. Sure, these groups are using buzz words like, traffic, noise, environment, road damage, but the simple truth is, this I how discrimination works people like these groups use these buzz words to try to hide the fact they are the ones who are discriminating.
The headline – written by the organization which held this meeting – implies that removing the landfill is unanimous opinion of those in the neighborhood. From my experience and those for whom I built a home nearby about 20 years ago, Florence tries to be a good neighbor, and it dates back to when few homes were in proximity.
Rather than have one large C&D killing people in one county district, let’s break it up and have a C&D in all five districts. That way all the citizens in every district can die the same death and it will put an end to all the whining.
Zero waste is a commi UN program…
I don’t like the airport noise , should we close the airport too?
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Can they do something about the vagrants?
Maybe they should t have bought a home so close to the dump.
I don’t like the biomass plant, should we have opened that? Wasn’t the.Sierra Club for biomass?
Sounds like a bunch of Karen’s.
Florence I think recycles concrete….
A necessary evil.
Have they proposed a different location for construction and demolition (C&D) debris? It has to be dumped before it gets recycled, somewhere.
What’s causing the “rotten egg smell”, the well water used to keep down dust? That’s natural water odor, sometimes.
I sympathize but we have a lot of demolitions around here, so just propose another place not too far out, it has to be nearby to keep down truck wear and fuel costs, too.
Construction debris is dumped at Florence’s nearby Hawthorne Road collection center. It is separated there, then driven the short distance – 2 miles? – to this landfill. No, they don’t go through it with a teaspoon, so it’s not necessarily “pure” construction debris but they do have rules for those who rent their c&d dumpsters and they are dumped on a concrete floor where heavy equipment. with men on foot looking at it, reload what’s acceptable for hauling away. It’s relatively clean waste with no organics or hazardous contaminants. Truck and equipment noises, with dust at the landfill are legitimate concerns.
Truck
It would help if some specific location information were given. The main Florence location seems to be 3222 SE Hawthorne Road, but the landfill in question apparently is off SE 29th Ave. (3003 SE 15th St). It’s interesting that 2 farms that sell their produce as organic have been located directly adjacent to the latter (judging from google maps).
Questions for the ” neighbors”
1, have you been down old Bronson Rd? Or any other rds in alachua county. There are many other Rds that need attention. This is not a Florence issue this is a government issue. If anything the East side of town receives significantly more government funds than the rest of the county. That Rd has been that way for a very long time. Is there any engineers out there to say for sure it’s Florence? How about you built a Rd on a swamp and it has water issues, erosion issues, heavy traffic from bussing in kids to school, heavy traffic due to new developments in the area, a state park at the end of the Rd that attracts people.
2, what smell? It’s a C&D land fill not a wet trash land fill. How many building materials smell like ” rotten eggs” what about all the people who live around lavita brown? Do they complain? Is it ok for government to have land fills on the east side that actually smell but not a private co? Sound to me like BS.
3, who has contaminated water? How many people are on wells there still? Is there proof of contaminated water? Fun fact did you know that city water is aloud to have asbestos and other contamination in it. You can look up water quality on government websites.
4, what dust? Is it worse than living on a dirt Rd? I’m pretty sure there is required dust management systems in place.
5, don’t live there. There are plenty of other places to live. That landfill has been there since the 60s you could have bought anywhere else.
At the end of the day it sounds like a few people are crying wolf.
Given the fact that the Sierra Club will fight tooth and nail against the establishment of a new C&D site *anywhere* in the county, Mr. Olmos needs to start working now to identify potential sites for the new C&D dumps we’ll need in 20 years.
PS Florence does not do concrete recycling, but another firm in town does and I believe they work together on that. That company sells it as “fines” used for underlaying pavers or other specialty uses. It’s good stuff and unless they have moved, they are located just south of Depot Road, east of 6th Street, near residences across Depot Road (Porter’s Quarters), and may produce dust, plus trucks coming and going. There is a concrete plant adjacent and there used to be concrete block production there.
Sorry I can’t confirm what is still there, but what I described is not ancient history – maybe a decade ago, max.