MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida lawmaker is asking the state's attorney general to take legal action against the company that manages the former Piney Point phosphate processing plant.
In a letter penned by State Sen. Janet Cruz, the Tampa Bay-area Democrat says she wants to hold the owners of the site, HRK Holdings, accountable for the "environmental disaster that has unfolded in the past two weeks."
In 2006, the now-bankrupt HRK acquired the former phosphate plant in hopes to redevelop it for commercial use. And while Cruz acknowledges the company came to own the site after the initial construction of the lining that caused the leak of its reservoir, she says it was HRK's responsibility to mitigate the issue.
"It is clear that decades of mismanagement have led us to the unfortunate juncture we find ourselves at today, from both private and public entities," Cruz's letter reads. "The level of disregard for these dire circumstances displayed by HRK Holdings (now conveniently bankrupt) only exacerbated this problem, and now the State of Florida and the taxpayers have to step in and foot the bill."
According to Cruz, the cost of cleaning up the mess the Piney Point site left behind could be up to $200 million. However, she says the real cost will be the area's tourism industry as the millions of gallons of wastewater discharged from the site could have larger environmental implications.
Around 215 million gallons of wastewater that sat inside Piney Point's retention pond were released into Tampa Bay. Officials have said that the chemicals in the water could fuel algae blooms, leading to possible fish kills and worsening red tide.
"As a Tampa Native, my concern is for our beautiful Bay, the nearby aquatic preserves, the various wildlife that call this ecosystem home, and those individuals that rely on a healthy Bay for their own business," Cruz said.
HRK has not yet responded to a request for comment. We will update this story if we hear back.
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