AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Burning near a Nassau County neighborhood will continue under a new set of rules approved by county commissioners Monday night.
Burning near Harbor Concourse was paused two weeks ago after neighbors reported smoke and soot clouded their neighborhood.
RELATED: Smoke, ash cloud Nassau neighborhood as crews clear way for new development
“I walked out my front door and was hit with a pile of smoke. My eyes were burning full of tears. And I was coughing up blood for two weeks,” Anthon Aviles, a neighbor with a tracheotomy, said.
The developer agreed to pause burning because of the health concerns about two weeks ago. Commissioners voted 3 to 2 Monday on a memorandum for crews to continue.
The Florida Forest Service authorizes what’s known as ‘air curtain incinerator burning’. It’s a common way for developers to burn debris and clear land.
Normally, burning must take place at least 300 feet from the closest home. Under the new rules, burning near Harbor Concourse now must be 750 feet away.
Cleared debris will also have to be dried out before it’s burned and Nassau County can suspend burning if concerns persist.
STORY: Powerful Nor’easter wreaks havoc on St. Johns County Beaches
“There were rules in place [before] that weren’t enforced and we did call. And not just one person called,” Kathy Reed explained. She said no one responded to their concerns originally.
The Department of Environmental Protection admitted it’s short staffed and it could take up to two days for someone to investigate concerns over air quality.
That’s one reason Commissioner Aaron Bell suggested banning commercial burns like this county-wide.
“We’ve got to make sure our citizens stay safe during these burns. The only air quality monitors we have in Nassau County right now are the lungs of the people around the site,” he said.
County Attorney Michael Mullin said it would be difficult to make any county-wide mandates on burning because it is regulated by the Florida Forest Service.
Currently, only a handful of counties have their own regulations on top of the forest service.
“If you give government an inch, they take a mile — and the way I feel about it is, the Florida Forest Service already has a clear cut plan. There’s pages and pages of this stuff,” Commissioner Klynt Farmer said. “I’m of the mindset that we need to let them do their job.”
Discussion on a county-wide ban did not continue during the commission meeting.
STORY: Jacksonville grocery stores experience product shortages similar to rest of the country
The vote on a memorandum at the site next to Harbor Concourse only applies there.
The developer, Century Communities, sent this statement to Action News Jax Thursday, “Century Communities is committed to being a good neighbor in every community we serve, and we will be in this neighborhood as well. We look forward to ongoing conversations with community groups, so all parties are satisfied.”
©2021 Cox Media Group
