Residents and businesses press Collier County to act after independent air tests near Coastal Recycling

Business owners and residents urged the Collier County Board of County Commissioners on March 24 to press state regulators after months of dust and airborne debris from Coastal Recycling in the Pine Ridge industrial park.

"This facility is failing to properly contain its debris," said Joe Barbera, owner of My Mechanic of Collier County, who presented results from an independent air‑quality contractor, Clean Air Management Inc. Barbera said tests taken Jan. 8–Feb. 11 showed particulate readings exceeding EPA guidance and that neighbors are experiencing respiratory and property damage.

Barbera told the board the tests showed an average of 14.48 (units as reported in the test) on a metric he said the EPA recognizes and an average count of 240 micrograms per cubic unit for a size class he cited as concerning. "Families in this community are being forced to deal with conditions they did not create," Barbera said, and he asked the county to coordinate with state regulators to pursue inspections and corrective actions.

Several nearby business owners backed that account. Gretchen Rice, co‑owner of Rice's Moving, said workers wear masks when walking to site restrooms and that equipment and vehicles accumulate a film of particulate. "This has been almost 20 years, and in the last 2.5 years it has become horrendous," Rice said. Other speakers described chronic coughing, repeated medical care, and property damage they attribute to the site.

County staff said they have opened and closed multiple code cases and have been referring matters to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which the staff and commissioners said has primary jurisdiction for air‑quality enforcement. Jamie French, director of Growth Management/Community Development, told the board the county has referred reports and that DEP has performed site visits; he said county code officers have been allowed access by the property owner.

Commissioner Hall said staff had just reached the DEP administrator by phone and that the county would continue to coordinate and notify affected residents when new information arrives. "You have our attention," he said.

The board did not take an enforcement vote; commissioners urged staff to keep residents informed and to pass evidence, including the independent test results, to DEP investigators. Staff said they would continue their coordination with the state agency and report back when the DEP's findings are available.

The county meeting record shows residents repeatedly asked for quicker action and clearer public communication; county staff emphasized limits on local authority and promised to provide updates when the state responds.