Bought and Paid For: Political Sell Outs in Osceola County

Part Two: Fred Hawkins Jr. and The Omni Waste Connection

Today we continue our series of "Bought and Paid For:
Political Sell Outs in Osceola County.” where we examine one candidate's connections, Fred Hawkins, Jr., to see if he is truly the agent for change in Osceola County as his followers would have us believe, or if he is a continuation of the policies and practices of the current administration. Past is prologue, so we should do a little research.

In 1999 Tim Salopek, a lead man for Omni Waste, was virtually run out of DeSoto County when about 200 angry residents mobbed a planning board meeting in opposition to his proposed 300-acre landfill near Fort Ogden. What would Mr. Salopek's next target be? You guessed it, Osceola County.

Holopaw, Osceola County. Salopek homesteaded in St. Cloud and had an office in Punta Gorda (we’ll get back to this later) and thought it would be great if Osceola County residents would swallow a 200-acre landfill. Residents of Holopaw and St. Cloud expressed concerns and fears that the landfill would clog the streets with traffic, disturb wildlife and pollute the waterways that lead to the St. Johns River. What did the county do? They denied the landfill! We’re not joking. The county actually listened to the people and backed them. To say the least, the people’s decision did not sit well with Omni and Salopek, so they sued them. No surprise here, the county settled after promises from Omni of only hauling garbage from Osceola and bordering counties. Some financial perks were also added for the county, as well as a little handout to the good folks of Holopaw. The landfill was in and Omni was granted the permit that allowed them to raise the landfill 187 feet above sea level.

While all of this was going on, Salopek became “concerned” with his community. He joined director’s boards for Edison College, the Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA and wait for it: the Education Foundation. Salopek was also developing close ties with members of the County Commission and a particular up-and-coming pupil, Fred Hawkins -who ironically was the chairman of the Planning Board . Omni soon sold the landfill to a Canadian company, Waste Services, Inc. whom employed Mr. Hawkins as the Manager of Government Affairs. After the dump was opened the request was made to raise the landfill’s height to 330 feet (only 15 feet shorter than Brighton Hill–the highest point in Florida) as well as accept regional garbage. In the words of Mr. Hawkins, “That permission was granted with no fuss.” There should probably be no surprise that the County Commission had completely reversed its previous position on protecting the community, but it was shocking to the neighbors of the landfill.

So how do residents of Holopaw feel? Mr. Gary Pickett said “Some of us look at it as selling our soul.” How about the initial concerns and fears from the people? What about the traffic? One resident said a truck ran her off the road last year and said the same thing happened to one of her friends. “They’re crazy down there. Half of them don’t even know how to drive a truck.” What about garbage collection? Well, now that there is a new owner, they can accept regional garbage from everywhere! What about pollution? While being within state and federal guidelines for accepting hazardous waste, rainwater flows through 5.5 million cubic yards of waste before hitting a plastic bottom. The bottom is sloped so the water flows toward collection ponds where it then is hauled to a waste-water plant. Kenneth Cargill, chief engineer for Omni, says that with the two layers of liner, “you’re basically 100 percent sure that nothing gets through." Lee Martin, from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, says “Anything has the potential to leak." What does Fred Hawkins say? Mr. Hawkins said that for every acre of dump, one shot glass full of polluted water makes its way through the liner. Not exactly 100 percent huh? So much for listening to the people. Where’s the change? Oh but wait, there’s more.

Stay tuned for Part Three of our series of “Bought and Paid For: Political Sell Outs in Osceola County.”

Click here to read "Bought and Paid For: Political Sell Outs in Osceola County." - Part 1