PINE HILLS, Fla. – Tons of car parts, housing materials, and more trash had been sitting on David Sleiman’s property for months, until this week.
“Suddenly, this Monday, I come here, and I see a bunch of trucks, and people are working to clean up the property,” Sleiman said.
In a flash, a contractor with Orange County cleared everything away.
“I had nobody reach out to me. I have no idea who came to clean up. So right now, I’m in the dark,” he added.
Sleiman said that after News 6’s last report in October, he received a notice from Orange County Code Enforcement saying he had two weeks to clean up the site. He contacted the county to ask for more time.
[BELOW: Illegal dumping problems persist in Pine Hills even with new security cameras]
“They’re telling me that they would give me some time to clean it while I have an engineering company working on a plan to develop the property,” he explained.
Orange County’s Planning, Environmental and Development Services Department emailed Community Correspondent Jarell Baker this statement:
“A county contractor is currently removing trash and debris from the property. Orange County Code outlines the steps the County can take to bring a property into compliance to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our communities and residents. In this case, the accumulation of trash had been present on the property for several months, prompting the County to initiate a clean-up effort. Orange County Code Sec. 28-30 prohibits junk, trash, or debris from building up on any property. Piles of debris can attract rodents or other animals, create opportunities for illegal activity, threaten public health and safety, and reduce the value and enjoyment of nearby properties. After the property owner is provided due process and does not comply with the code, the code inspector will initiate a work order for a contractor to bring the property into compliance. The property owner will be charged for the cleanup, administrative costs, and additional fees allowed under County Code.”
“If they had done what they were supposed to do with the cameras and made sure there was no illegal dumping here, then we would not have this issue,” he said.
Earlier this year, Orange County crews installed surveillance cameras and cleaned up dozens of pieces of illegally dumped trash on his other property across the street.
Now that his second property is cleaned up, Sleiman hopes the dumping stops.
“It looks clean right now. It looks like we’re seeing a lot of city cars or county cars passing by every day, so they’re monitoring it,” he said.
Sleiman added that since the last report, the dumping has almost stopped and that he’s working closely with Orange County officials to make sure it stays that way.
“You’re happy about it, but you are still confused. Yes, it looks pretty, and I hope it stays like that. There’s still construction equipment here on the property,” he said.