Wildlife Issues
The Green Swamp is a regional treasure and the second largest ecosystem in Florida. Trekking through the green swamp is like going back in time. It contains some of the last preserved areas and shows us all what pre-developed Florida was like.
The area is a patchwork of pine flatwoods, cypress domes and hardwood swamps. And it is a critical habitat for a variety of animals including a number of threatened or endangered species such as the scrub jay, American kestrel, gopher tortoises and the Florida burrowing owl.
Thanks to statewide preservation efforts and about 138 million of your tax dollars, we can all still enjoy a thriving habitat there – unless Angelo’s gets their way.
The proposed landfill site is adjacent to Green Swamp and the 34,000-acre West Wildlife Management Area. Landfills bring with them increased traffic, nuisance animals, wind blown debris and the potential for leachate releases, all of which could negatively impact the health and safety of wildlife populations.
A leachate release has the potential to destroy a wetland. It would contaminate the water system and could poison surrounding animal populations.
But at least that is faster than dying of starvation.
A variety of animals are drawn to landfill trash because it can often smell like food. Unfortunately many die from consuming non-biodegradable materials such as plastic bags and etc. These items are swallowed and can often cause a blockage that would kill the animal or cause it to slowly starve.
"Those birds could really cause us a lot of trouble."
- John Floyd, Citrus Farmer
Angelo’s estimated that about 1,000 trucks per day would come and go through this site. Increased traffic equals more dead animals. Additionally, landfills attract their own forms of wildlife, such as nuisance birds, rodents and insects. These animals damage native wildlife populations by competing with them for food or exposing them to deadly parasites and disease.
The state has invested millions of our tax dollars to protect this area. Why would they threaten that investment with a pile of trash? Why risk this public treasure for private gain?