JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The truck goes in, full of 700 gallons of raw sewage.
The truck comes out empty.
Surveillance video captured the scene as part of a high-profile sting operation earlier this year. The cameras were placed by investigators responding to complaints from residents of the Tidewater community on Jacksonville’s Northside, who reported someone was emptying sewage trucks on an adjacent property.
Investigators confirmed it was happening, and had been happening for some time. “The smell of urine was overpowering,” one wrote. The site also featured dried toilet paper spattered on tree trunks, the ground littered with feminine hygiene products and condoms.
Samuel Octravis Jones, 49, was charged with two counts of felony dumping of hazardous waste and two health nuisance charges. The arrest was broadcast widely by the state Department of Environmental Protection. A Feb. 3, 2021 email touted the case as proof that “under the leadership of Gov. DeSantis, DEP continues to hold perpetrators of environmental crimes accountable.”
But by May, three of the four charges against Jones had been dropped. The fourth was resolved with a “withhold of adjudication” – meaning no penalty unless Jones violates probation.
He served a single night in jail.
“It was encouraging to see this announcement and the significant resources to do the sting operation,” says St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman, “but the fact that it ended up with a slap on the wrist -- that's very concerning. Too many polluters just consider these fines and penalties as a cost of doing business instead of a deterrent to prevent the pollution, which is the intent.”
Jones told investigators he dumped hundreds of gallons of raw sewage at the Cedar Point Road site previously. He said he learned of the spot from other waste haulers.
The company he worked, Floaters Sanitation, fired him immediately, spokesperson Jason Green told First Coast News. He says the incident was embarrassing. “He got caught red-handed dumping, and my company’s name is on the side of a truck.”
It was also expensive. Green says the company spent about $100K in fines and cleaning the site. “Even though we are one of the largest providers [of porta potties and pump-out services], we are a local, family-owned business,” he says. “It was extremely difficult for us to handle.”
Green says there is no economic incentive for his drivers to dump illegally. The cost to empty trucks is a flat fee, paid by the company’s contract with JEA, and employees are not incentivized to reach multiple customers. Green called the decision to dump illegally “pure laziness.”
Jones hung up when contacted by First Coast News, but his attorney Nathan Williams agrees with Green’s assessment. He said his client was “stupid” and “lazy” and “just the one who got caught.”
“The way he told it, everybody dumped there, and he got caught,” he says. He says Jones’ arrest will not impede illegal dumping. “I am sure people found a new site,” he said. “That’s what people do.”
Rinaman says the dump site, located near protected wetlands in the Timucuan Preserve and just yards from Clapboard Creek, imperils river health.
“The fact that this was something that had been done previously – this was just blatant disrespect for the law as well as for our environment and everyone that lives downstream,” she said. “Sadly, this activity is happening you know, throughout the St. Johns River watershed, and throughout Florida.”
She believes the fact that Jones’ punishment was diluted sends the wrong message. “It's just repeat behavior, you know. The penalties, if they're just a slap on the wrist, then it's not a deterrent. But the fact that it ended up with a slap on the wrist -- that's very concerning.”
First Coast News asked DEP for an interview about how the high-profile case was resolved, but the agency declined, instead sending the statement below.
“DEP’s top priority is the protection of public health and safety, and the environment. That is why we we’ve made enforcement of Florida’s environmental laws a priority which includes ensuring appropriate clean up and remediation activities occur when a violation takes place.
To that end, following the release, DEP worked with the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the perpetrator’s company Floaters Portable Sanitation to ensure proper cleanup and containment protocols were in place. Staff oversaw the clean-up by Floaters Portable Sanitation which included soil excavation and placing lime over the entire affected area. After, DOH -- Duval County followed up to ensure the area had been appropriately cleaned up.”