ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A developer wants to build 150 new homes in east Orange County, but people who live nearby told Eyewitness News that the land is contaminated.
The developer wants to build homes and businesses on the property near Lake Underhill and Dean roads.
"It looks harmless, doesn't it?" resident Dexter Rambo said.
But residents told WFTV that the land used to be a dairy farm in the 1980s and was also an unofficial dumping ground. Many believe the land hasn't be cleaned up, and contaminates, like mercury and ammonia, could seep into the water.
"They really have wells. They don't have city water. They are afraid the contamination will make them sick," resident Trini Quiroz said.
Documents show that the county and state has done testing on the site. Some of the testing suggests the contamination is not as bad as many people think, although some high levels of ammonia was detected in the soil.
The developer has offered to clean up the land, but some residents aren't satisfied.
"That is not something families or groups of families should be confronting after they put their savings and hopes into living peacefully and quietly," Quiroz said.
If the development is approved, it could bring another 300 cars to a stretch of Lake Underhill Road.
A meeting about the issue is scheduled for Thursday morning at the county administration building.
WFTV
