(WSVN) - Abandoned truck trailers under a South Florida overpass have created quite an eyesore, but figuring out who is responsible for the mess has been — in a word — messy. Karen Hensel has tonight’s 7 Investigates.
It started with a tip to 7News calling these two cargo trailers an “accident waiting to happen” and a fire risk.
They are abandoned under an overpass near Interstate 95 just outside Miami Gardens.
One trailer is packed full of used tires. The other is filled with memories and personal information of family moves that clearly went very wrong.
Inside was furniture, a bottle of prescription seizure medication and paperwork, including copies of checks to dozens of different moving companies, even a wallet with someone’s social security card.
Karen Hensel: “I’m Karen with 7News…”
It’s an industrial area, so we asked about the trailers at nearby businesses.
This man agreed to talk with us but didn’t want to show his face.
Man: “People are going in there, putting stuff in. Other people taking stuff out. It’s like a Goodwill exchange store.”
Karen Hensel: “You see that pretty often?”
Man: “Yeah.”
Near the trailers was another pile and more family memories trashed.
We found Sol and Susan’s bank account information and family photos.
Also in the mess was this government issued, U.S. Air Force ID for a man named Christopher, and these baby and prom pictures of a young man named Jonathan.
Karen Hensel: “How often do you see people going in and out of there?”
Man: “Oh, about three or four times a week. Sometimes there’s a lot of stuff laying outside of it, and then, it’s gone the next day.”
Just down the street near a county sign warning of a fine for illegal dumping is more trash.
Images from Google Street View show the trailers have been sitting under the overpass since at least December 2020.
Man: “One day it’s going to catch on fire underneath the bridge. Somebody’s going to just torch it.”
As for what is being done about it, that’s where things got complicated. Two Miami-Dade County departments referred us to each other, and at one point, we were told it’s the state’s responsibility, but the Florida Department of Transportation sent us back to the county.
Karen Hensel: “Would you like to see those trucks get out of here?”
Man: “Oh, yeah, it’s a hazard.”
A hazard the county has known about since January, documented in internal county emails and pictures taken by county inspectors.
Two weeks ago, the county initiated an investigation after an employee believed “… a danger to the public health, safety or welfare was imminent.”
And this week, the county finally took action, clearing out and taking away the mess from the moving truck and unloading and stacking the tires from the other truck.
After at least eight months under the overpass, both cargo trailers were hauled away.
As for the mess and illegal dumping in the area, whether things get better remains to be seen.
We spotted yet another trailer abandoned for so long, a tree is growing out of it.
The county tells 7News Miami-Dade Police will be patrolling the area to try and put a stop to the illegal parking and dumping.
CONTACT 7INVESTIGATES:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
clue@wsvn.com
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