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Developer asks Brevard commissioners to press state on long-running Cumberland Farms fuel plume
Summary
A Titusville developer told the county commission the former Cumberland Farms site has a gasoline plume the developer says dates to the 1980s; county staff said the county runs the delegated fuel-tank monitoring program for DEP and is coordinating monitoring while reviewing whether active remediation is warranted.
Developer Jeremiah (Jesse) Wright told the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 12 that groundwater contamination beneath property at or near the former Cumberland Farms site in Titusville has affected roughly half of his 22-acre parcel and has stalled redevelopment. Wright said he purchased the property in February 2018, described ongoing monitoring since purchase and said tenants and businesses on part of the site remain while remediation is pending.
County environmental staff explained the county operates a delegated fuel-tank monitoring program in coordination with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Tina Swanson, the county’s local program manager, told the board the program has followed a “natural attenuation and monitoring” pathway for the site and that county staff review quarterly monitoring data from the responsible party or its consultant to determine whether remediation targets have been met and whether a “no further action” letter can be issued.
Wright said he and tenants want more active remediation and more direct involvement. County staff and other speakers said options include continuing monitored natural attenuation or performing active mitigation to remove the plume; staff said the monitoring path was the choice agreed years earlier by parties involved. The county’s delegated program role is to review data, coordinate with DEP and issue a “no further action” determination only when monitoring results meet target cleanup criteria; staff said they recently received another set of quarterly data and were in active coordination with DEP.
Commissioners and staff discussed whether the monitoring requirement prevents phase-two development; staff told the board that, in general, development can proceed around contaminated areas and that permitting for phased construction can continue while monitoring continues. County staff said liability and civil claims about responsibility are outside of the county’s cleanup authority; DEP and the responsible party (Cumberland Farms) handle remediation obligations. Staff offered to continue coordinating with DEP and the developer and to provide follow-up information to the board.
