Guidelines

I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following :








Saturday, February 13, 2021

Trash and Litter Issues Plague this County.... How Can WE Fix This?

I witnessed a driver on Mobile Highway by Bellview Middle School throw a paper plate out his window this morning just like it was a frisbee.  Why are citizens treating their roadways like their personal garbage can?  Would fining people get this behavior corrected?


My office has been inundated with complaints about this. Litter, and garbage, all over the place. I have seen it.  We have all seen it.

It's disgusting.

In the wake of the Hurricane Sally cleanup--there are still a number of piles of debris around my district.
This morning I saw several debris piles on Community Drive between Belview Avenue and Longleaf.  The north and south side of I-10 between exit 5 and I-110 looks like a garbage dump.  

Mobile Hwy--north and south on the right of way--is covered in litter.

As I drove up Mobile Hwy past Bellview Middle School today---I watched as a trailer being pulled by a truck had garbage falling out the back--including a large cardboard box and lots of loose, flying paper.  Right next to him was a newer Chevy Camaro with tinted windows.  I was astonished to see the driver's side window roll down--and that driver flung what looked like a "Chinet" paper plate out the window like  a frisbee.

Why do people treat these state and local roadways are their personal garbage cans?

I am working with my counterpart on the ECUA and county staff and ECUA staff to organize a mass cleanup of our streets and communities.

I am also going to discuss better enforcement of our "no littering" ordinances--to include installing more signs and actually fining violators.

But at the end of the day--these are just treating symptoms of the much larger problem which is this:  Why do people so disregard their own community to the level that they treat it like a garbage dump?  Where is their pride in their area?  What a SAD state of affairs.

Maybe a $100 dollar fine for littering would get their attention?

I'm bringing this up at Thursday's meeting.

3 comments:

King Ghidora said...

Ive seen whole bags of trash come out of garbage trucks, mobile hwy, 9mile and Beulah rd are the counties access to the landfill..it all funnels thru Beulah.

Anonymous said...

I just looked out my window and still see two Chip Simmons for sheriff campaign signs...j/s

Anonymous said...

Honestly I reported those campaign signs, thinking they would appreciate it and that perhaps they overlooked them but all I got back was nasty responses and they left them as litter by the road to this day. Who do you plan to enforce litter laws? I'm all for it.

People throw trash out, I have an orange vest and go and pick it up but it is getting tiring and hard and dangerous.

I'm sick of it and of the disrespectful people in this county who litter the roadways but if it starts with the one who may be in change of enforcing being guilty themselves then where does that leave us?

Example of professionalism should start at the top and stop having little old ladies be next to speeding cars cleaning up after other people.

So if you see Sheriff asking for a body camera again and more tax money please remind him he has campaign signs on the side of the road still and that he has people in his department reply "No. One. Cares!"