New Volusia County trail trashed in strange illegal dump

OSTEEN, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Volusia County leaders are trying to figure out who turned part of their new, not even complete trail into a dump this week.

On Tuesday, County Council Vice Chairwoman Deb Denys received a text from her husband who was biking the county’s new stretch of trails with some friends and discovered a large pile of strange trash had been dumped over a section near Osteen.

"It was ON the trail,” said Denys. “They moved a lot of it off so they could pass."

Among the pile: toys, stuffed animals, old electronics, Christmas decorations, trash, syringes, broken glass, and a number of other items. The pile now split into two on either side of the trail, creating a real eyesore for some of the first cyclists taking to the pavement.

"It's worse than you expected. When you actually see the syringes and you see the glass that's shattered and broken,” said Denys.

Denys said a lot of Volusia County leaders have worked for years to make the new trail a reality.

The 22 miles will stretch all the way to the ocean in Titusville and will connect to a larger system that stretches the state. Once completed, people will have a complete, paved path from the ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and along the length of the Saint Johns River; about 260 miles according to Denys.

Though the local trail isn’t even technically open yet a lot of cyclists and walkers could already be seen checking it out Thursday.

The trash: not what County leaders would like weighing down their first impressions, and Denys said this isn’t the first pile they’ve dealt with on the stretch.

However, as more people hit the trails and more eyes are drawn to it, leaders hope the dumping will come to an end as the area is no longer the rural hide-away it once was.  If not, they say they’ll deal with the dumpers.

"We've had to deal with some unlawful activity in some of our other trail systems before; we know how to handle it,” said Parks and Rec Director Tim Baylie.

Signs have been posted by the pile and Baylie said the Sheriff’s Department is investigating the dump. If caught, those dumpers could face fines up to $500.

"You can either choose to pay $13 and go to the dump or $500 we will gladly take and reimburse and put into our trail system here,” said Denys.