Orange County Mayor
and council hard at work?
NOT!
I am proud of WFTV
Channel 9 News because they seem to be trying hard to keep on top of things
going on in their area!
Wish we could say
the same about 'Any government official in the state!
Channel 9 news
reporters have been trying to contact the mayor's office to no avail!
Florida Government
Officials,
"Where are you?"
And what is this
"Under Fire?"
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.
A storage facility
is under fire for allegedly opening its units to mechanic shops without proper
permits.
Channel 9 learned
Orange County sheriff's deputies are called to Fairview Mini Storage almost
daily, and the business's code violations are now reaching $82,000, a result of
$250-a-day fines over the past year.
County officials
said they're planning to place a lien on the property.
I say, about time is
has been only at least a years, some reporting at least two years?
How long does it
take to process a 'Lien'?
The state's
Department of Environmental Protection has also been watching the property,
saying they’ve found contamination in the soil and they believe the unlicensed
businesses are contributing to it.
The county took
samples last summer that revealed high levels of petroleum hydrocarbons,
arsenic and lead.
"It causes
cancer".
"It causes neuro
problems," said Tina Debeaux, who works at the nearby Lake Fairview
Marina.
"We have a lot
of people that swim in the lake. There's a lot of children."
The state has not
yet issued any fines, because the property owner has hired a contractor for
cleanup.
Right now, state
workers are assessing the entire scope of the contamination.
For Two Years?
When Channel 9's
Janine Reyes went to the facility, auto shop signs could be seen lining the
storage units, with some business owners saying they're licensed.
Others said they're
just renting the space to fix their own cars.
"I don't have
to be licensed to do this on my car," one person said.
Since last summer,
Code Enforcement officers found "many business here do not have a
permit."
On Oct. 24, officers
noted "the property (is) still out of compliance."
A special magistrate
judge found Fairview Mini Storage guilty and fined it $250 a day for numerous
violations.
"We still have
today the same code violations that were presented to that magistrate on Sept.
8, 2014. A year ago. A year ago -- it hasn't changed," said neighbor Joe
Fontana.
Fontana said he
worries businesses operating below the radar could create safety hazards.
"We have
businesses operating here with explosive liquids, gasoline, diesel fuel,"
he said. "There are no fire sprinkler systems in any of those units to
suppress."
Fontana also blames
unlicensed business transactions on increased crime. On Tuesday, officers
responded to a shooting that started with a dispute over a car.
"The shooting
was expected. It should have been expected. Our county leaders should have
expected that event taking place," Fontana said.
Members of Fontana's
condo association showed Channel 9 several emails they've sent to the county
asking it to take action.