ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando paid big bucks to build a fire station on a lot, but 9 Investigates discovered the ground is contaminated, and it may cost taxpayers a lot of money to clean it up.
Fire Station 2 is being relocated to West Robinson Street and Hames Avenue to make way for the new soccer stadium.
The city is already on the hook for more than $1 million for the land, but just months away from its scheduled opening date, the city responsible for the cost of cleaning up the contamination.
The city said it still isn’t sure how much that will cost.
The problems, which stemmed from hub caps, batteries and twisted metal on the land, were found after the city paid $1,150,000 for the land.
According to the city, before the 2014 deal went through, the city’s environmental consultant did a site assessment, which did not find any significant environmental concerns, so the city wrote the check and closed the deal.
Then, in 2015, the contractor found car parts in the city and told the city the land is likely contaminated.
The land was home to a junk yard in the '80s and '90s.
It may cost between $500,000 and $1 million to dig up the car parts, meaning it may cost taxpayers twice as much as the city paid for the land.
A city spokesperson said the city is waiting for tests to see the scope of the cleanup to determine the exact cost.