Feds prosecute city for sewage pollution

WILLIAM B. HARRISS, City Manager of St. Augustine, Florida
Photo credit: J.D. Pleasant

In April 2005, the City of Venice, Florida pled guilty to three felony counts of Clean Water Act violations -- polluting wetlands with partly treated sewage effluent, damaging Knight Trail Park and Curry Creek.

Venice City Attorney Bob Andrews bragged to EPA, "We violate, you fine us, we pay the fines and move on." City Manager George Hunt (since resigned) said pollution and fines were part of the City's "cost of doing business."

Venice admits its illegal "business" destroyed pine trees, damaged vegetation and left wildlife homeless. Venice replaced its entire utility department with a contractor: it paid a $110,000 fine and was placed on probation. Federal agents are still investigating "The Executive Group," including former City Manager Hunt.

In the New Year, let's help EPA and FBI take down the City Manager of St. Augustine for repeated overt acts of pollution -- 40,000 cubic yards of solid waste in our Old City Reservoir, 611,294 gallons of sewage in San Sebastian River, years of sewage effluent pollution of our saltwater marsh.

WILLIAM B. HARRISS and racist cronies have made the African-American community of Lincolnville into "the pollution peninsula."

It takes a village to restore law and order (and common sense) to St. Augustine, the Nation's Oldest City.