Neighbors fighting development on contaminated Solite property in Clay County

Neighbors in the Russell community of Clay County are concerned about development on contaminated land nearby.

A developer wants to buy the old Solite property, where hazardous waste was burned as fuel until the mid-1990s. The property has been dormant since that time.

The developer wants to build several hundred homes on the land, which is nearly 800 acres.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection entered into a consent order with Solite, which now goes by the name Stoneridge Farms. Through the agreement, the company would clean up the property after it sells it.

Under the order, which was last revised more than a decade ago, Stoneridge Farms would pay $2 million made from the sale as part of a cleanup.

Neighbors tell Action News Jax they don’t trust that Stoneridge Farms will thoroughly clean up the property. They also say that development will stir up the contaminants that could harm their families.

More than 100 people spoke out against the developer and property owner at a community meeting Thursday.

“Who’s going to come and test all of our wells? Every one of them,” said one neighbor. “Comprehensive tests and let us know exactly what’s in it.”

Some neighbors suggested a more independent process to know how much needed to be cleaned up on the property.

“We need an outside company to come in and do a full inspection of that property and then give us information of what needs to be done,” another neighbor said.

Albert Galliano represented Solite at the meeting, and reiterated that Solite plans to be responsible for the cleanup, however much it is.

“We’re going to be responsible for the cleanup,” he said.

The DEP sent us this statement in response to our questions about the contamination and cleanup on the Solite property:

The Department is committed to insuring the assessment and cleanup of Stonebridge Farms property are conducted in accordance with Florida's environmental laws.
Stoneridge Farms has signed a Consent Order with the Department that requires them to clean up the property. Financial Assurance is required by the Consent Order and is provided once an approved Corrective Action Plan is in place. The Corrective Action Plan has not yet been finalized.
A Corrective Action Plan is typically finalized once the assessment of contamination across the entire facility is considered complete. This allows the responsible party to prioritize the most important areas for cleanup, and develop the most effective and efficient cleanup. The Department reviews this plan to ensure it meets all requirement of the state's cleanup rules and regulations. The assessment of the site is nearly complete.  
The Department is aware that a prospective buyer would like to purchase the property for development. Pursuant to the requirements of the DEP Consent Order, as amended in 2006, Stoneridge Farms plans to take $2,000,000 from the sale to establish and maintain financial assurance to cover the costs of completing the required cleanup work.
If the sale is finalized, it is likely a new Consent Order will have to be executed to address the change in ownership and the finalized Corrective Action Plan. 

Cox Media Group