An illegal Florida landfill piled with trash 40 feet high has led to criminal charges against the property owner.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said in a news release Tuesday that 55-year-old Gelio Justino Hernandez is charged with operating an illegal landfill and failing to obtain proper permits.
Authorities say the site covering over 3 acres is piled with wood, concrete, oil buckets, roofing materials, tires, metal, carpet and plant debris that is in danger of catching fire.
In December 2016 the landfill burned for two weeks, forcing some neighbors to temporarily abandon their homes because of the smoke.
"We take this case very seriously and we've worked hand in hand with Metro Dade Police and DERM to make sure we put this guy out of business," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Tuesday. "It's a threat to all of us. It has a tremendously negative impact on our health and our safety here."
Court records Tuesday did not list an attorney for Hernandez.
