Pinellas County - proper PLUS
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843 43rd St S St Petersburg, FL, 33711, USA - Childs Park Neighborhood AssociationOn March 3, 2026, at approximately 10:05 a.m., I observed active industrial operations occurring at HowCo Environmental Services (843 43rd St S).
Machinery was visibly operating, personnel were onsite, and trucks were entering and exiting the facility. I captured both time-stamped video and photographic documentation of this activity at approximately 10:05 a.m.
During the same time period, a heavy oil and chemical odor was present in the surrounding residential neighborhood. The odor extended beyond the facility boundaries and was detectable at my residence approximately 407 feet away. The smell was strong enough to interfere with normal outdoor activity.
Given prior reports concerning expired permit authorization and documented odor violations, I am requesting that the County and appropriate regulatory agencies:
• Confirm whether the facility is currently authorized to operate;
• Conduct an inspection during active operations;
• Document any offsite odor conditions;
• Provide written clarification regarding the facility’s compliance status.The video and photo evidence have been preserved in their original format with metadata and are available upon request.
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3947-3993 46th Ave N Lealman, FL, 33714, USA - West and East LealmanNelson construction has no dust control measures in place. No silt fencing, no watering, cutting concrete with no dust control. -
835 43rd St S St Petersburg, FL, 33711, USA - Childs Park Neighborhood AssociationToday, February 27, 2026, at approximately 12:24 p.m., I personally observed active industrial operations occurring at HowCo Environmental Services (843 43rd St S).
Machines were visibly running, personnel were onsite, and trucks were actively entering and exiting the facility. I captured time-stamped video documentation of this activity at approximately 12:24 p.m.
During the same time period, a strong petroleum and chemical odor was present in the surrounding residential neighborhood. The odor was noticeable beyond the facility boundaries and interfered with normal outdoor activity. The odor was also detectable at my residence approximately 407 feet from the facility.
As previously documented in multiple reports, the facility’s hazardous waste and used oil permit expired on August 3, 2025, and the air permit expired on November 9, 2025. Public records indicate renewal authorization has not been finalized.
The video footage was sent to the county and has been preserved in its original format with metadata and can be provided upon request.
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6378 Gulf Winds Dr St Pete Beach, Florida, 33706 - St. Pete BeachBbq grill it’s been set up without the proper chimney for the smokes ,
The smokes from the grill are coming directly to my back yard , and inside the house ,
I belived all the neighbors have been complaining already, including the sport bar “Macnasty”( business property)
They should build a proper chimney. It’s a daily occurrence -
843 43rd St S St Petersburg, FL, 33711, USA - Childs Park Neighborhood AssociationAir quality issues from HowCo again today. It lingered all weekend even when they weren't in operation. However, it is stronger today and makes it unpleasant to be outside. -
500 28th St N St Petersburg, FL, 33713, USA - Historic Kenwood Neighborhood AssociationIt seems like car exhaust and leaked gasoline. It makes it hard to breathe outside.
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701 43rd St S St Petersburg, FL, 33711, USA - Childs Park Neighborhood AssociationThere was an extreme chemical odor in the air coming from HowCo Environmental Services while heavy machinery was actively operating. Just in case they attempt to say the machines weren't running, I have a time-stamped video showing otherwise. The smell was strong, persistent, and unmistakably industrial/chemical in nature.
HowCo has not yet been granted the required operating permit. They are currently in the process of attempting to get that permit and they are trying to backdate that permit to August 2025, which is when their old permit expired and how long they've been operating illegally.
Again, they are not legally allowed to be operating at this time. Despite this, it's been business as usual and the neighborhood continues to have these air quality issues.
How is this acceptable? How is this allowed? This is an unpermitted industrial operation that is emitting chemical odors and particles into a residential area where children and elderly live across the street. Why is this being tolerated by our own city?
Why is nothing being done?
Residents should not be exposed to chemical emissions from a business that is not even authorized to be operating. This situation is unacceptable and warrants immediate enforcement action.
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The Pinellas Trl St. Petersburg, Florida, 33711 - Childs Park Neighborhood Associationfoul smell in the area
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4301 Emerson Ave S Saint Petersburg, FL, 33711, USA - Childs Park Neighborhood AssociationChemical smell coming from the south of our home; the refinery in Childs Park
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10th St N Saint Petersburg, Florida, 33704 - Magnolia Heights Neighborhood AssociationHorrible and strong tar fumes from a roof repair on the commercial building on MLK N. It has been two weeks and the fumes are making me incredibly sick. I live and work right behind the building and where they have been leaving the machine that holds the tar "cooking" 24/7. The fumes can be smelled blocks away and we can't even go outside they are so strong.
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10548 Park Blvd Seminole, FL, 33772, USA - SeminoleThe smell around this lift station is nauseating. This had been an on and off problem for years. What needs to be done to fix it permanently?
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843 43rd St S St Petersburg, FL, 33711, USA - Childs Park Neighborhood AssociationThere a moderate burnt fuel and rotten egg type smell coming from the HowCo plant again today. This week I've noticed that there is consistently a smell coming from the plant from the 4pm timeframe onwards until at least 6pm just about every day this week.