Bill Would Grant $100,000 Each to Former Wood-Treating Plant Workers

Monday, October 28, 2019 | 0

Florida Democrats are trying again with a bill that would provide $10 million to former workers of a defunct Jacksonville wood-treating company who were sickened by exposure to arsenic and other toxins.

House Bill 6509, filed by state Rep. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, says $100,000 per worker is needed in part because of a “catastrophic failure” of oversight by state agencies, including the Departments of Health and Environmental Protection, according to a Florida news report.

The workers were not provided with protective gear or training on how to handle the hazardous chemicals that were used for decades in pressure-treated and creosoted wood, Davis said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been asked for years to oversee a cleanup of the former Fairfax Street Wood Treaters site, which is in a residential area near a school.

The bill directs the state attorney general to compensate former employees $100,000 each.

“The amount awarded under this act is intended to provide the sole compensation for all present and future claims (for) injuries and damages to former employees of Wood Treaters LLC,” the bill reads. “The total amount paid for attorney fees relating to this claim may not exceed 25% of the amount awarded under this act.”

The Florida Legislature convenes Jan. 14.