That Smell in Tangerine, Florida and Nearby Neighborhoods

  Nearly a year ago, the founders of "That Smell in Tangerine and Surrounding Communities" came to the conclusion that it was going to take a concerted effort to reduce the odor problems in our area.  We started out as Tangerine residents living primarily around Lake Ola and spread to Zellwood, Stoneybrook Hills, and as far North as Round Lake Road. The Tangerine Improvement Society had been encouraging members to call elected officials when there was an odor. We saw that it wasn't enough and nothing was happening to solve the problems.  It was time to step up the effort, so the Facebook page page was born on January 12, 2020. It gave residents a chance to share their experiences and to begin to reach the right people at the regulatory level. It wasn't all peaches and cream, though. At least one employee  of Shelley's Septic Tank and his/her friends were among the first members and they popped up and defended the sources of the smell, especially when it was relate...

  I was keeping an eye out for my friend and neighbor to pick up some Christmas gifts I'd made, so when I saw a car similar to hers across the street I ran out there. Well, it wasn't my friend, it was Dr. Kane of the FDEP who was making his rounds. He was following up on some recent odor reports.  We discussed the recent odor reports I'd submitted. The wind had been coming in from the North during these occurrences so that ruled out Monterey Mushrooms, Shelley's Septic Tank, and Anuvia which isn't running anyway.  That left the landfill, the Mount Dora Wastewater Treatment plant, and, news to me, a private lift station in Stoneybrook Hills. We discussed the nature of the odor in the recent reports.  I told him about Hubbard's application to be annexed into Mount Dora and those various members of the Mount Dora City Council that had visited the Hubbard Landfill unannounced and found nothing significant. He asked if these recent odors smelled of sewage and I told ...