(WSVN) - Rotting trash and dead animals are the last things you want in your neighborhood, but that is exactly what residents in one South Florida neighborhood see everyday. 7’s Jessica Holly shows us the mess of trouble.
Michael loves living so close to nature.
Michael Le Bellot, tired of illegal dumping: “We have beautiful ducks, the fish are incredible, turtles.”
But what the the retired federal officer doesn’t love is this: bugs drawn to large piles of disgusting trash dumped in his Naranja neighborhood, along Southwest 276th Street.
Everything from mattresses to rotting food and even dead animals.
Michael Le Bellot: “Who knows! I mean soon they’ll start dumping bodies for crying out loud.”
The trash has even spilled into a canal and onto sidewalks.
We watched as a family and students from nearby schools had to walk into the busy street to get around the garbage.
Michael Le Bellot: “I wish the police could get involved a little bit. In the past two years, I’ve been writing to them, you know, pleading with them, sending them pictures, sending them the videos — Nothing!”
And Michael is not the only one complaining. Other owners are upset as well.
David Shaleesh, president of Mandarin Lakes Homeowners Association: “Trash is constantly piling up there. We are requesting to have it cleaned out maybe once every month.”
The county does clean up the trash, but they say the problem is these piles are on private property, so the owner is responsible for cleaning them up.
Chaveli Moreno, Miami-Dade Dept. of Regulatory and Economic Resources: “We definitely understand the situation with the public seeing this as a constant nuisance. We are monitoring it because of the complaints that have come in.”
The county says the property owner has hired a clean up crew and is actually a victim too because other people are illegally dumping trash on the property.
Chaveli Moreno: “Unfortunately, they are in this obstacle of this illegal dumping, so that when they go and remediate or remove the junk and trash that is there to clear the property, then it comes up again.”
After our first visit, a crew did come and clean up, but Michael and David say it won’t take long before the trash starts to pile up again.
The fine for illegally dumping is $1,000, and neighbors are keeping an eye out to catch the culprits in the act.
Michael Le Bellot: “Please stop dumping over here. What the heck! You have places to throw this stuff.”
David Shaleesh: “Act like human beings and take your trash to the dump sites.”
The owners of the property have been issued a citation, but they are appealing the fines. To report illegal dumping go to our website, go to the links below.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Miami-Dade Solid Waste (dumping on public property):
www.miamidade.gov/solidwaste
Miami-Dade Dept. of Regulatory and Economic Resources (dumping on private property):
http://www.miamidade.gov/economy/
Mandarin Lakes HOA:
http://www.renovationspm.com/mandarinlakes/
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