Today, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection revoked the permit for the Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Debris Disposal Facility and will file a lawsuit in Escambia County. A copy of the Notice and Order of Revocation can be found here.

The Notice and Order of Revocation issued to South Palafox Properties, LLC alleges that compliance issues at the Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Debris Disposal Facility located at 6990 Rolling Hills Road in Pensacola constitute violations of Florida law.

Such compliance issues include the facility operating outside permitted dimensions and failure to implement the Remedial Action Plan approval order issued by the department on July 3, 2013.

“We are committed to taking any and all regulatory and enforcement action available to us to ensure the ongoing compliance issues at the Rolling Hills Construction and Demolition Debris Facility are addressed,” said Northwest District Director Shawn Hamilton. “We have worked diligently with the facility in an effort to address the issues, and despite our attempts, the noncompliance continues. Revoking the permit and filing the lawsuit will prevent further violations and compel the facility to address compliance issues and implement corrective actions as required.”

Hamilton was part of a recent tour of the Wedgewood neighborhood that included a stop at Rolling Hills. The Wedgewood residents have complained for years about the health and safety hazards they believe Rolling Hills and other pits and landfills in the area pose.

See a video of that tour, produced by the Escambia County public information staff, here.

The DEP will file a lawsuit against South Palafox Properties, LLC seeking a judgment that will order the company to resolve compliance violations and comply with department orders.

Escambia County Commission chairman Lumon May said the action was a long time in coming.

“Today is an example of how local and state government officials, if we open lines of communication and put the health and safety of our residents first, we can accomplish some things,” May said.

“I ran on clean and safe neighborhoods and this is an extension of the principles we believe in. We’ve got to make sure every neighborhood is clean and safe. I’m looking forward to the next couple of months as we move forward looking at process or permitting and inspections to make sure we continue to have clean and safe neighborhoods.”