INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — It took more than five years but a property on 45th Street in Gifford has finally been cleared of 7,000 discarded tires and 250,000 pounds of debris and hazardous materials.
The Environmental Control Board Thursday heard testimony that the environmental nightmare in Gifford was cleaned up faster than anyone thought was possible, thanks to the leadership of well-known Indian River County developer Joseph Paladin.
Paladin was hired by Gaddis Corporation to oversee removal of old tires perfect for mosquito breeding, construction debris, rundown buildings and toxic waste from a 10-acre parcel at 4410 45th St. in Gifford, which had become an illegal, unregulated dumping ground.
Board member Dr. Philip Glade said the County had been trying to get the site cleaned up for five years or more, working with an unresponsive prior owner.
Paladin said Fort Lauderdale businessman Jesse Gaddis acquired the property sight-unseen in 2012 through a foreclosure action along with other properties that had been put up as collateral in a business deal.
In December the board imposed a $42,500 fine on Gaddis for failure to clean up a health hazard located next to Gifford Park, which contains ball fields, playgrounds and a swimming pool frequented by children.
Paladin said when Jesse Gaddis came to Vero from his South-Florida headquarters he was shocked by the conditions on the lot.
“He is a good person and a very successful businessman,” Paladin said of Gaddis. “He didn’t want his name associated with the mess at that property and he gave me power of attorney and complete authority to handle the clean-up.”
When Paladin appeared before the board in June to announce his cleanup plan, the board was skeptical because the problem had already dragged on so long, and it imposed a $500-per-day additional fine if the work was not complete in 45 days.
County Environmental specialist Charles Vogt, who monitored the cleanup for the County, said the problems at the site and the amount of debris turned out to be much greater than what was thought in June.
He said Paladin dealt with each fresh discovery of more buried waste and dangerous materials quickly and effectively. In the end, more than 7,000 tires and 250,000 pounds of debris were hauled away and disposed of in accordance with environmental regulations.
“It is not very often that I get to thank someone in my job, but I offer my wholehearted thanks to Joe Paladin for the job he and his people did,” Vogt told the board. “Every day was like Christmas, going out there and seeing things get done.”
Paladin said he had 20 to 25 men working for approximately 60 days between mid-June and mid-August, including truck drivers, heavy equipment operators and a fulltime environmental engineer to tell crews how to dispose of hazardous items such as high pressure gas tanks and illegal septic tanks.
He said the job has cost $80,000 so far and will probably top out at $100,000.
Vogt and Paladin showed photos of the cleared site, which will be seeded and maintained as a grassy lot for the foreseeable future. Paladin has a radar scanning contractor coming to scan the property to see if there is additional material underground that needs to be removed. He is waiting to seed the lot until that survey and any needed excavation are complete.
Even though it took Paladin more than 45 days to complete the project, the board waived the $500-per-day penalty and reduced the $42,500 fine to $15,000.
“I was appalled at the conditions that existed in the community [when I saw that site],” said Glade, “and I am overwhelmed by the success of Mr. Paladin and his people in getting it cleaned up.”
“He did a very good job and took care of everything that came up,” said board member Patrick Walther, who made the motion to reduce the fine.
Paladin called the project a joint effort, citing strong support from the Gifford community and expert assistance form county staff as essential to its success.