Pasco County is turning to a state law against littering — coupled with the help of its citizens — to get tougher on illegal dumping.
The targets of the get tough campaign are illegal dumping by individuals and blighted commercial properties.
Pasco County citizens will be enlisted in a social media blitz, dubbed #PascoProud, aimed at catching illegal dumpers in the act, and prosecuting them.
No changes to current county ordinances are planned.
Instead, county officials have created an email address — — where citizens can report locations of illegal dumping, vehicle license plate numbers and, when possible, attach videos and photos of offenders.
People also can post locations and photos to social media with the hashtags – #PascoProud and #RIDPasco. On MyPasco mobile application, they can click the link, “Report Illegal Dumping.” And, they can visit a Report Illegal Dumping website at http://bit.ly/2Bj6CUz, or call (727) 847-2411.
This new program aims to make it possible to report illegal dumping in as many ways as possible.
Citizens are ready to join in the fight, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, who worked with county staff members to craft the proposal.
“They’re mad. They’re already out there taking pictures,” Moore said.
Pasco County relies on cameras placed in about a dozen locations. And, citizens routinely call in complaints to county staff and county commissioners.
But, greater citizen engagement in catching illegal dumpers, and boosting arrests and penalties, would be a “proactive, preventive measure,” said Marc Bellas, the county’s performance management director.
Bellas said county employees will conduct “triage” to prioritize the emails and other citizen-reported information. Part of their efforts will be to determine whether debris and trash are on public or private property.
There are limits to what county government can do when dumping is done on private property, Bellas said.
Emails and photos will be forwarded to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.
Violators under the county’s ordinance can be fined up to $500 a day, per violation.
However, state law also can be applied. Pasco officials have their sights on blighted commercial properties.
Penalties under state law could mean fines, points against a driver’s license, community service, and jail time.
Haulers who work for profit could face forfeiture of trucks and other vehicles, if they are caught illegally dumping.
Penalties under state law are partly based on the amount of litter that is dumped, and partly based on who does the dumping.
Litter that is 15 pounds or less, or less than 27 cubic feet in volume, for instance, would carry a civil penalty of $100, under state law. However, violators could be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for dumping more than 15 pounds, but less than 500 pounds, or an amount greater than 100 cubic feet in volume. This applies to illegal dumping not done for “commercial purposes.”
According to state law, convictions for first-degree misdemeanors carry stiff fines, and potentially could result in points on the violator’s driving record.
Violators who illegally dispose of more than 500 pounds or more than 100 cubic feet, or “any quantity for commercial purpose,” can be charged with a felony of the third degree. Penalties include jail time and forfeiture of vehicles used in the illegal dumping.
“We’re going to go stricter,” Moore said. “We’re not going to put up with this anymore.”
For more information, visit PascoCountyFl.net.
Published February 14, 2018
