Pile of old tires was giveaway, state says

A father and son are charged with illegal dumping. Each says the other was in charge. Numerous violations are found.

By JULIE CHURCH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 7, 2002

TARPON SPRINGS -- When state environmental officials went looking for evidence of illegal dumping at Hobbs Metals & Recycling, they didn't have to look far, according to court records.

It's hard to miss a huge pile of tires.

How huge?

The pile, about 100 feet long, 20 feet wide and 15 feet high, was estimated to contain 2,500 or more tires, investigators with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Wednesday.

"It's a pretty big mess," said Lt. Jim Ramer, who investigates illegal dumping for the DEP in 17 counties in southwest Florida.

Clarence D. Hobbs, 71, and his son, Carl R. Hobbs, 31, were charged with illegal dumping after a 10-month inquiry into the 5-acre scrap yard north of Tarpon Springs. State agents concluded there were numerous violations of state statutes on the storage and disposal of hazardous materials.

Soil samples taken from three separate areas on the property, at 1599 Rainville Road, found petroleum contamination exceeding acceptable levels, according to a sworn statement from DEP agent Dana L. Chianella.

Other items found dumped or stored at the site include cars, appliances, septic tanks, concrete culverts, computer monitors, copying machines, car batteries, fuel tanks and boats.

The waste wasn't only on the Hobbs' property, but was also on a neighboring parcel owned by Tarpon Springs, court records said.

In addition, investigators found hazardous waste that included 55-gallon drums of sodium hydrosulfite and plexichrome paint.

"Our No. 1 concern in these cases is public safety," Ramer said, "and the second concern is the environment."

The huge mounds of tires serve as receptacles for water, Ramer said, which attracts mosquitoes and rodents.

They also pose a fire risk.

"It's a big-time fire hazard," Ramer said. "And once they get ignited they're almost impossible to put out."

It was a tire fire that first alerted the DEP to possible violations at the Hobbses' recycling yard in October 2000.

Along with the criminal charges, the two men await a consent order, which will tell them exactly what is required to clean up the property enough to meet state requirements.

The men have been cooperating with state environmental officials, Ramer said. They have hired an environmental consultant and are in the process of checking well samples, to see if any ground water has been contaminated.

Neither of the Hobbses could be reached for comment on Wednesday.

But in interviews with DEP officers, each man said the other makes the final decisions about how the place is run, according to Chianella's affidavit.

Carl Hobbs told investigators that in the more than 30 years the business has been operating, many items have been left on the property.

He acknowledged that the situation has gotten out of hand.

"Things have been out there for years that we just haven't had time to get to," he said.

-- Julie Church can be reached at (727) 445-4229 or church@sptimes.com.

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