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Pinellas Homeowners Want Answers From Raytheon

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By CARLOS MONCADA and MARK DOUGLAS

The Tampa Tribune and News Channel 8

Published: May 29, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Since finding out that her irrigation well is contaminated, Elizabeth West worries whether she will be able to sell her home of nine years.

"It feels like I'm holding the bag, so to speak," said West, who received a contamination notice from state environmental regulators Wednesday. "Because I don't think anybody's going to buy the house right now. We were planning on selling, but we can't do that until something is done about that."

West's residence in the Azalea neighborhood is among four more homes reported this week to have contaminated wells – bringing to at least 12 the number of private irrigation wells near the Raytheon defense plant that are polluted with industrial waste.

According to a Web site that Raytheon launched Wednesday, those 12 polluted wells are not a health threat. The state Department of Environmental Protection has said the risk to human health is unclear.

West isn't sure what to think.

"What's it done to us?" she asked. "I mean, we just put it on the grass. But we've got animals. They eat the grass. And we've inhaled it."

She hopes to get answers at a 7 p.m. community meeting today at the Raytheon plant, 1501 72nd St. N. Several hundred residents are expected for the discussion of Raytheon's health risk assessment report on the toxic plume that has migrated off the facility west-southwest of the Tyrone Square Mall area.

Raytheon officials initially said they would not allow news organizations to bring cameras to the meeting. After News Channel 8 raised objections with state officials, however, Kevin Ramundo, the company's vice president of communications, said today that Raytheon was referring to still and video cameras brought in by members of the public, not the news media.

"The reason, quite simply, is that as a Department of Defense contractor, we are under some very specific guidelines in terms of how devices of that type can be brought into the facility," he said. "It's not that it's terribly onerous, but if you think about 400, 500, 600, 700 people or however many we may end up with, that would be completely impractical."

News cameras also will be allowed at an "Open House" meeting held before the community meeting. DEP staff members will host the earlier meeting. Raytheon, its environmental consultants and the Florida Department of Health will also have information booths and will be available to meet with residents.

Holding a public meeting in a private venue is not uncommon, said Adria Harper, director of the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee.

The state's Government-In-The Sunshine law requires that public meetings be held at a location that can reasonably accommodate the anticipated turnout, she said.

But Harper said members of the public should be allowed to bring in cameras or recorders if they choose.

"Basically any person has the right to record a public meeting, whether it be a reporter or a citizen, so long as it's not disruptive," she said. "Usually that's no problem. It's very common and it's certainly reasonable to allow that."

State Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, said he will be out of town and unable to attend the meeting but is sending his legislative aide.

"Obviously because it's private property they have a right to prevent someone from bringing something on their person," he said. "But there should be no reason anyone is prohibited from attending."

Kriseman said he suggested to state regulators two alternate locations for the meeting, a church and the St. Pete College campus.

"It might make people feel a little bit more comfortable," he said. "But it's [Raytheon's] meeting, so it's up to them."

Kriseman said he has not yet received a response to a May 16 letter he wrote to DEP Secretary Michael Sole seeking explanations for delays in cleaning up the pollution, first identified in the early 1990s.

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com. Reporter Mark Douglas can be reached at (727) 536-9603 or mdouglas@wfla.com.

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