Fasano denounces landfill plan
The proposal will make the county a "dumping ground," the senator says.
By CHUIN-WEI YAP, Times Staff Writer
Published November 29, 2007
DADE CITY - Invoking the Green Swamp and water protection, state Sen. Mike Fasano has condemned plans for a private garbage dump just outside Dade City.
It's also outside the portion of Pasco that Fasano represents.
No matter. Fasano's lived in Pasco for 38 years, he said, and he can't sit still for a proposal by Angelo's Aggregate Materials of Largo to "make millions by making Pasco County a dumping ground."
The senator who does represent east Pasco, Victor Crist, said he just heard about the landfill on Tuesday, even though it has dominated discussions in some government and environmental circles for a year.
Crist said he only heard about it Tuesday during his twice-a-year "government tour" of Pasco.
"During my meetings in Dade City, the issue was brought to me for the first time," the Tampa Republican said. "My district is huge in land volume. Pasco's a big county, and people have got to make the phone call."
He said he gets the newspapers, but since he lives in New Tampa, the Pasco sections are not included.
On Wednesday, Fasano, a Republican whose district lies farther west of Crist's, publicly released a letter he sent Secretary Michael Sole at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In it, he said the landfill - which could potentially cover 1,000 acres - threatens water resources and the nearby Green Swamp conservation. The DEP is currently evaluating a permit for the landfill.
"More disturbing still is that Pasco County has a management plan in place for their solid waste, so they apparently have no need for, or interest in, such a private facility," Fasano said, referring to Pasco's waste-to-energy incinerator.
Based on his talks Tuesday with top city and Chamber of Commerce officials, Crist said he's now also going to send a letter to the department, asking them to red-flag the landfill's environmental risks.
"It didn't seem to me to make any sense to put it so close to an urban area and the water reserves not just of Pasco, but also Hillsborough and Pinellas," said Crist, whose district also covers northern Hillsborough County. "I'm more comfortable incinerating our trash than burying it."
Fasano said he decided to speak out after reading news about the landfill and meeting with residents to discuss it.
"They spelled out to me the environmental hazards," he said. "I just have great concern that you open a landfill of that size, literally it becomes a dumping ground for everyone else."
Carl Roth, who leads opposition to the landfill, said his group reached out to Fasano around September. Roth said he had also sent an e-mail to Crist in February laying out the landfill issue, and introduced himself when Crist was in Dade City in June.
Roth praised Fasano's move.
"We are certainly glad he sees the consequences of this at the state level," Roth said. "Given his role in the Senate, we're hoping this will have greater influence than the money being sprinkled around by Iafrate on elected officials."
The Iafrates are the father-and-son team behind Angelo's.
Among other political contributions, the Iafrates and their array of companies have given thousands of dollars to Republican legislators, including $5,000 to Pasco's GOP executive committee and $50,000 to a political committee controlled by two Manatee County lawmakers.
Fasano said he knew about the $50,000 contribution, but not the $5,000 given to his Pasco party colleagues. Fasano said he plans to make a motion at a legislative delegation meeting Dec. 6 for the delegation to go on record opposing the landfill.
Angelo's is going to try to cut him off.
An Angelo's spokesman said the company plans to ask for time to speak at the Dec. 6 meeting.
"We have not had chance to meet with the senator, but we hope for that opportunity," said Bob Lotane.
Lotane said other officials have had a change of heart after hearing more details from landfill officials about the proposal. Fasano questioned this.
"I would be very surprised if any elected official supports taking the waste and allowing it to be buried in an environmentally sensitive area," he said.
Pamala Vazquez, DEP's spokeswoman, said the department will respond to Fasano's letter directly to his office. Angelo's also needs a county permit.
The political tide may seem to be turning, but Roth isn't uncorking the champagne yet.
Expect lawsuits, especially if the county permit is denied, he said. "There is the court issue," he said. "The solid waste community has been very willing to utilize that when they haven't gotten their way."
Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at 813 909-4613 or cyap@sptimes.com.