LEE COUNTY ASBESTOS
Lee County commissioner raises new questions about Summerlin Road asbestos contamination

Ft. Myers commissioner in Lee County, Fla., expresses concern over local asbestos spill.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by asbestos exposure.

If your community was harmed by environmental pollutants, use the communication form on this page to obtain a free consultation with a Weitz & Luxenberg attorney and learn more about how an environmental lawsuit can help.

FEATURE STORY

December 23, 2009 - Lee County (Florida) commissioner Brian Bigelow has raised serious concerns over how widespread the Summerlin Road asbestos problem may be.

“We need to be sure it's not only in the fill being used on this overpass, but not on the road itself," said Bigelow. "The public has no tolerance, I think, for these contaminants to be in our road building projects.”

Reports of asbestos contamination have alarmed residents in the Ft. Myers, Florida, community of Whiskey Creek, where asbestos (a cancer-causing mineral) was discovered during construction work on Summerlin Road.

Lee County, Fla., asbestos

Posen Construction is being held responsible for the tainted fill, and will be required to survey the entire area as part of its requirements to clean up the contaminated mess.

James Whitehead, who owns the Fort Myers recycling site now under investigation by the State Department of Environmental Protection, said Posen Construction leased space from him for several years to store excess fill used in city and county projects.

“My contract with them says there will be no hazardous material dumped out here," said Whitehead. "I would be a fool to say there aren't crumbs in there.”

Caution tape now isolates the Summerlin Road construction zone confirmed to be tainted with asbestos contaminated dirt.

The truth about asbestos

Despite the fatal diseases associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is most often the result of asbestos exposure on jobs – and usually contracted through employers’ preference for quick profits over the expense of maintaining workplace health safety.

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.