NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — People living in the River Crossing subdivision say the ash and soot from the New Port Corners development project on Little Road were covering their homes and making the air hard to breathe.
Now, Pasco County officials say home-builder Lennar has agreed to mulch and haul off the remaining green material for this phase of the project rather than burning it.
“We were thrilled. We are very excited,” neighbor Kim Shaw, who had complained about the smoke, said. “Because we were pretty hard on this, and we were told not to expect any results. So, not to get our hopes up. So, you know, having any improvement, any cooperation is a really big deal.”
The county says Lennar does have another permit to burn acreage it plans to clear on the west side of Little Road.
There’s no word yet on whether the developer will consider making the same concession when it eventually reaches that part of the development.
For the past several weeks, neighbors in the River Crossing subdivision say a massive development project near their homes has been leaving a daily layer of soot and ash on their property.
Nearly one thousand acres are being cleared and burned to make way for the New Port Corners housing and retail development off Little Road.
The project was granted an on-site burn permit valid for the next several years.
“It's a health issue more than anything,” said Shaw, who’s contacted the EPA and won’t let her twin sons play outside after school anymore.
Her neighbor Lori Hrica agrees.
“And I went to the doctor, my allergist, and she said my breathing is getting worse,” Hrica, who has asthma and COPD, said. “This was about a month and a half ago.”
Pasco County says a code compliance officer and a worker with the Florida Forest Service recently followed up on a complaint and visited the worksite. But they say they observed no violations of any permits or burn requirements.