MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Officials in the Florida Keys are warning visitors and residents that dumping trash and hazardous waste on the road is not only a crime, but a threat to the sensitive environment.
“It can be detrimental to the wildlife, it can be detrimental to the water,” said Cheryl Sullivan, director of Solid Waste Management in Monroe County. “The Keys is surrounded by water, so we know anything that goes into the ground is going to eventually come out into the water.”
The warning comes after a string of illegal dumping cases in the Lower Keys.
Most recently, deputies said two South Florida men dumped a large container filled with “liquid hazardous waste and oil” in Big Pine Key, where endangered Key Deer can be seen roaming.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Jorge Alejandro Newbery, 62, of Big Pine Key, and Maikel Ramos Jimenez, 36, of Hialeah, were arrested January 11 and now face felony charges. The men claimed the container fell by accident, said Sheriff Rick Ramsay, but they never called authorities.
Sullivan said the contaminated dirt and gravel will have to be excavated, and that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is also investigating.
“Accidents happen, but you need to be responsible for that accident,” she said.
Records show Newbery was arrested again after a Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) officer recognized him from a derelict vessel case. The boat was docked without permission and was in a state of despair, and contained “marine growth and red/brown water from rust,” according to a report.
Monroe County provides opportunities and resources for residents and businesses to dispose of debris, unused electronics and household hazardous waste, Sullivan said. There are three transfer stations in unincorporated Monroe County and Key West, and multiple collection sites each month through the Keys to accept electronics and household hazardous waste.
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