EDGEWATER, Fla. — Neighbors of a Florida Power and Light substation are calling on the company to do more about a homeless camp causing issues on its property.
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That camp was the site of a triple shooting that turned deadly in October, and according to neighbors, a fire last month just yards away from the power station.
From Drone 9, you can see the tents, tarps and trash that litter the woods directly behind the Florida Power and Light substation, and from the nearest street, you can smell the char from a fire that Kim Salisbury watched threaten the substation in late January.
“There was a structure, a wooden structure, for the homeless people living there, and somebody set that on fire, which then set these woods on fire, which are maybe 50 feet away from the substation,” Salisbury said.
Salisbury lives across the street and says the camp is a known problem.
“The police have roused them out of there a bunch of times, but as soon as they get kicked out, they wait a week, and they come back in,” Salisbury said.
Edgewater’s Police Chief told us his officers check the area daily and that he no longer considers it an active camp but rather a place where a few people may come to sleep or do drugs. He says FPL has authorized his officers to trespass and arrest people caught on the property, but Salisbury says she’d like to see the power company do more to secure the land.
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“I realize this is not the only homeless camp that’s affecting people’s lives, but it is the property owners’ responsibility to take control of this,” she said.
FPL told us in a statement: We are aware of instances of individuals trespassing on our property in Edgewater. The safety of our community and employees is always our highest priority. Accordingly, we are working with local law enforcement to address these issues.\
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