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Residents urge Bradford County to halt Douglas Warehouse conversion to ICE detention center, citing contamination and community impact
Summary
Dozens of Bradford County residents told commissioners they oppose converting the Douglas Warehouse into a 3,000‑bed ICE facility, citing historical groundwater contamination (TCE and 1,4‑dioxane), potential traffic and service strain, and calls for independent environmental and legal review.
Dozens of residents spoke during public comment on Feb. 19 to urge Bradford County commissioners to pause consideration of converting the Douglas Warehouse into a large immigration‑detention facility. Commenters — many who live in nearby Deerwood subdivision and Stark — raised long‑running concerns about groundwater contamination, traffic and the social effects of siting a detention facility near the town’s main shopping corridor.
Anya Griffiths, who identified herself as running Protect Rural Florida, summarized public records indicating that trichloroethylene (TCE) was first detected in nearby wells in 2001, that remediation began with substrate injections in 2011–2012, and that semiannual monitoring through 2012–2025 continues to show TCE and 1,4‑dioxane in monitoring wells. "Approving this use without updated environmental assessment, transparent public…
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