KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Deliveries of coal ash from Puerto Rico will stop going to an Osceola County landfill by the end of this week.
- Osceola County residents claim the coal ash is toxic
- JED landfill is doing environmental testing
- PREVIOUSLY:
The county commission heard complaints from residents Monday about the coal ash being dumped at the JED Landfill in Holopaw.
Residents claim the coal ash is toxic and are concerned about potential health and environmental impacts.
Environmental consultants and attorneys hired by Osceola County said JED Landfill is not letting the county take its own samples or any other testing at its private property, only what is required by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Commissioner Peggy Choudhry made a motion to get more information on how much it would cost to test on the outskirts of the landfill instead, but that motion did not get a second.
"This commission should be ashamed of itself," resident Loret Thatcher said. "The management should be ashamed of itself. You don't care about the citizens, you care about the money. That is disgraceful."
The Osceola County Commission chair says the final coal ash shipments from Puerto Rico are on their way. However, some residents continue to be skeptical.
JED Landfill has the rights to bring in coal ash from around the state. The county does not have regulatory authority to tell it otherwise. Commissioners have asked whether the landfill would consider completely stopping any and all coal ash, but it says it won’t.