On September 23, 2008 the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) held a public comment session at East Pasco City High School in Dade City, Florida. Attendees at the session brought up many facts relating to the approval of a permit for a Class 1 Landfill along the Green Swamp, a protected waterbody located near the landfill site. One interesting topic brought up at the meeting was how the landfill might affect local crime rates.
The attendee displaying concern about the crime rates was most interested in speeding on the roads, and petty offenses of that nature. However, erecting such a facility in a location of suburban growth has even deeper crime connotations.
Just as when a person moves from their home to another location, leaving the previous residence for sale and no longer providing uptake of the property, building a landfill in the middle of an area of middle to high level valued housing creates a vulnerability to reduced housing markets. The house left without constant upkeep creates the opportunity for an unkemp yard, visual defects due to aging, and many other factors. As this happens, the property loses value and it creates an opportunity for those who end up buying the property to no longer be as concerned towards the upkeep as other members of the neighborhood are with their houses. The new residents may not blend well with the community and may avoid being home as often in order to escape this social downfall. Eventually, other members move out and the same situation occurs. After awhile, the neighborhood is no longer as closely associated with one another and neighborhood watch systems fail and a vulnerability is created for burglars, etc. The building of a landfill may cause a similar conundrum, enticing current residents to move, creating a tougher real estate market with a reduced property value and offering vulnerabilities to a less social society, thus creating holes in which criminals can easily sneak through to carry out delinquent/antisocial activities. Once a crime spot has been established, criminals may attempt to take hold of the zone in order to enhance capabilities, such as via drug solicitations towards latch key kids or tagging certain signs and street features in order to pronounce their associations. The neighborhood eventually turns into a high crime spot.
In any case, such situations cannot be handled by the FDEP. The FDEP can only go by Florida Statutes when determining whether or not to approve a permit or set of permits. Such a case would need to be brought before the Board of County Commissioners, who plan to hold a kick-off meeting on October 15, 2008 at their headquarters in Dade City, time uncertain.
I would be concerned about the environmental effect on the land and the animals in the near by swamp. Landfill waste can get into the water polluting the water which can killl both plants and aquatic animals which in turn can drive land animals that eat the aquatic animals and plants to starvtion which would eventually drive them out of the area! That is what I would be concerned about!
I agree with you entirely. With my bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Policy I have had many options to explore what kinds of reactions the environment might endure due to such a landfill. Unfortunately, the FDEP cannot evaluate any effects of the landfill beyond what the statutes prohibit, and what they state that needs to be evaluated. However, the actual operating permit has to be approved by the county commissioners. Not all of the commissioners are completely concerned about the environmental impacts of the landfill. In order to be better prepared to convince such politicians that approving the permit for such a site is detrimental, one has to look at all related aspects of running the landfill and bring them to the attention of the commissioners whom will be voting in regards to the matter. In the same sense, not all members of society are entirely concerned about the environment, or even believe that such negative effects are reality, and so, once again, one must also look at other adverse factors related to the landfill in order to convince them, as well, that running the landfill is a negative option.