‘Dump the dump’: Southeast Gainesville residents continue fight to shut down landfill

Nora O'Neill, Gainesville Sun
Updated ·2 min read
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Southeast Gainesville residents and local environmental groups are continuing their fight to shut down the Florence Landfill, a dump which many say threatens public health and safety.

The landfill, owned by Southeast Landholdings Inc., is over 48 acres and lies across the street from historic Boulware Springs City Park and the Alachua County Sweetwater Preserve. Residents of the neighborhood have expressed their concerns at recent meetings, including one on April 27 at the TB McPherson Center, saying the smell, dust and debris, and heavy truck traffic are a detriment to their quality of life.

Now, the landfill may be on track to expand from 35 feet tall to 70 feet.

Southeast Landholdings Inc. had a Special Use Permit (SUP) that expired at the end of January. According to a press release by the group Respect Southeast Gainesville, the 1994 permit was intended to be operated temporarily.

Since January, the company filed for a legislative extension of the permit that would allow it to double the landfill's size as well as circumvent any public hearing process before the county. The governor’s office has since granted an extension on the permit.

“We can’t open our windows, and the trucks are so loud it sounds like thunder,” resident Barbara Gaither said at the April 27 meeting.

Residents gather to discuss the Florence Landfill in their neighborhood.
Residents gather to discuss the Florence Landfill in their neighborhood.

More: Community urges county to block expansion of landfill in SE Gainesville neighborhood

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Those who live near the landfill — a predominately Black, low-income neighborhood — have filed numerous complaints ranging from everyday annoyances to public health concerns. The grievances include improper land use, environmental injustice, water quality, odor, road degradation, noise and more.

Numerous local groups, including Sierra Club Suwannee-St Johns Group, Alachua County NAACP, Saint Peter Saint Paul Community Council, M.A.M.A. Club, Alachua County Labor Coalition, North Central Florida Indivisible and Florida For All, have rallied behind this cause and urged county commissioners not to honor the extension of the permit.

A press release from Respect Southeast Gainesville argues the dump is not necessary at all and points to comments made by County Solid Waste Director Gus Olmos at a county meeting in which he said the county would have two decades of disposal capacity without the Florence Landfill.

The Florence Landfill is located in a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood in Southeast Gainesville.
The Florence Landfill is located in a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood in Southeast Gainesville.

Now, residents and local groups are asking not only that the dump not be expanded, but that it be closed down entirely.

“Right this wrong. Dump the dump,” the press release reads. “Close the dump in our neighborhood now!”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Southeast Gainesville Florida residents fight to close landfill