LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — Lakeland residents said they’ve had a smelly nightmare in their backyard, but the situation could be changing.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is ordering an organic site be shut down.
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BS Ranch turns trash and human waste into soil. For years, it has been blamed for the stench.
The organic soil facility was told to cease operations after the DEP decided not to renew the company’s permit.
“We’re still in a lawsuit with them to make sure they permanently go away,” Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell said. “BS Ranch convinced us that they could take it and handle it in a way that wouldn’t produce any odors, which was completely false, and we suffered for seven years since then.”
However, septic waste removal companies in the area have been left in a bind.
“Now we have to travel to Hillsborough or Orange County and the surrounding counties to dispose of the waste that’s generated here,” said Sonny Averett, owner of Averett Septic Tank.