Live updates - Sen. Bill Nelson meets with Acreage residents
by Palm Beach Post Staff | March 12th, 2010Full Palm Beach Post coverage of the Acreage cancer cluster
Sen. Bill Nelson listens to Greg Dunsford during a meeting with Acreage residents to discuss upcoming testimony before a congressional hearing aimed at finding ways to bolster the federal government's hand in investigating cancer clusters. Allen Eyestone/Staff Photographer
4:25 p.m. - The meeting ended after more than an hour of comments from Sen. Bill Nelson and other officials and questions from residents.
Several of the key residents in the cancer cluster debate, such as Greg Dunsford (one of the parents of a child diagnosed with a brain tumor), said they got more answers and the proceedings were much more civil than the last public cancer cluster meeting. The last meeting, held by the health department at Seminole Ridge High School last month, was characterized by hours of people screaming and yelling at each other and speakers from the state health department.
4:05 p.m. - U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is telling the residents that the stories they’ve told him today about the cancer cluster will help him testify to the U.S. Senate next week. He said testing will continue to be conducted by the state Health Department. He said he will search for ways that cancer cluster investigations have been handled in other states around the nation.
4:03 p.m. - One resident is saying that many more houses need to be tested even if no cause is found, just to prove that there is nothing causing cancer to make the stigma of a cancer cluster go away. He said the stigma of a cancer scare won’t go away unless many more tests are done on many more homes.
3:51 p.m. - County Commissioner Burt Aaronson is telling the audience that if no cause can be found after extensive testing, then the county, state and federal government need to invest money in a public relations campaign to “build back confidence in The Acreage” so people don’t just move away and abandon the area. He also cautioned people that even if a cause is found by testing, that doesn’t solve the problem.
“Be prepared to know that it doesn’t go away tomorrow morning,” Aaronson said. “It will take years to correct depending on what it is.”
One resident said that if there was a clear plan of action to find and fix the problem residents would be more likely to stay.
3:46 p.m. - State Sen. Dave Aaronberg, who represents part of The Acreage, said the state is working on opening some sort of office in The Acreage to be a central point of disseminating information and quelling rumors on the cluster investigation. He asked for a central person with the state and the county be appointed to disseminate information correctly.
“That’s one thing we are working against is that rumors are getting out there,” he said. “We don’t want to ruin a community.”
3:39 p.m. - Another resident is asking for better communication from the health department about what is being tested for and what the results mean. She says that a lot of the anger amongst residents who claim news of the cancer cluster is ruining the community don’t understand what is happening. She suggested a central person residents can communicate with to ask questions and get answers about testing and the investigation to alleviate misinformation and quell some of the anger among residents.
3:35 p.m. - County Commissioner Burt Aaronson compared the impact of the cancer cluster on The Acreage to a “quiet hurricane.” Residents have been using the same language at the meeting, calling the region a “disaster area” and saying the impact is like a hurricane.
3:27 p.m. - A resident is saying that the county and the health department have not been getting things done fast enough, claiming that water tests have only been conducted at 72 of the estimated 10,000 homes in The Acreage thus far. The resident is asking for Gov. Charlie Crist to appoint somebody from his office to directly lead the investigation efforts and be in charge of the whole investigation.
3:21 p.m. - County Commissioner Burt Aaronson is saying that what the county and the residents need the most from the federal government is quite simply money. They need more money for testing to find the problem and more money to help residents fix the problem once it is found.
“I want as much help from the federal government as I can get, no matter how many dollars it costs,” Aaronson said.
He said that if the well water is found to be the problem, the federal government should help cover some of the cost of running county water lines to Acreage homes. County estimates to run water lines to The Acreage are about $17,000 per home.
“These people need county water, yet the cost of county water is so much they cannot afford it,” Aaronson said. “If we find out what’s wrong they need the help of the federal government to get them back on their feet.
County Commissioner Jess Santamaria said residents have also been asking him for government help paying for getting county drinking water lines to their homes.
“I believe this is one area where stimulus dollars can be used to great benefit of the Acreage community,” Santamaria said.
3:13 p.m. - Greg Dunsford, one of the parents of a child diagnosed with a brain tumor, is telling the audience that the federal government needs to put some money into testing the depth of wells in The Acreage and whether well depth has any connection to tumors. He said his neighbor was told his well was 80-feet deep but when it as tested it was just 25-feet deep.
“You’ve got to check the depth of the wells to see if there is something there,” Dunsford said.
Dunsford called on residents who have criticized him for claiming there is a cancer cluster in The Acreage to let the federal government do its job and keep testing.
‘Let’s get this done. This problem isn’t going to go away,” Dunsford said.
3:07 p.m. - Nelson is telling the residents that he plans to testify on Wednesday before the U.S. Senate’s Environmental Committee about the Acreage cancer cluster issue. After that, Nelson and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., will file legislation calling for the federal government to be more involved with state departments of health on future cancer cluster issues. This would include more involvement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Cancer Institute.
2:54 p.m. - Nelson just entered the room. The meeting is about to start.
2:44 p.m. - Aside from the Acreage residents waiting for answers about their homes, there is also a Royal Palm Beach man in the gallery who claims he is shooting a documentary on the cancer cluster issue. There is also a woman who claims she is hoping to use the meeting as an opportunity to pick up Acreage clients for a West Palm beach-based water purification company.
2:30 p.m. - Selected Acreage residents are starting to take their seats in the Flagler Gallery at West Palm Beach’s City Center. They are seated around a horse-shoe shaped row of tables with a table for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson to sit at the front.
There are expected to be at least two dozen Acreage residents and officials attending the meeting today. Residents have said they are hoping Nelson can answer questions for them today like when the government is going to finish testing, if they should sell their homes and what their homes are still worth.
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March 12th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
WHAT A JOKE!!!!!! If the Dunsford’s are so concerned about their kids. Why are they still living in the Acreage? Stop trying to scam the government for money! Do us all a favor an move back to broward!
March 12th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Can we have the names of the “selected” people attending
March 12th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Big Scam….Attys…trying for easy money…..politicians looking for votes….stimulus money….how the heck would this stimulate anything?
This is not a problem based on the FACTS…the State has concluded this several times…..but these Bumpkins are convinced that the rest of us are going to pay them one way or the other.
The heck with RPB and all the Politicians supporting this trumped up, admittedly very emotional cause.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
let’s put it this way, nobody will buy a house at the Acreage anymore. Living there is suicide.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
The terms used with kids here creates automatic sympathy if not hysteria….but the evidence is not there.
The percentages are about the same as anywhere else in this country…and its been stated that some of these kids were sick before moving to RPB……I read….11 deaths over 13 years would be normal……and that what we are talking here is a total of 12 or 13 over the same time frame and some of them, we know the people were sick before even coming to RPB.
Its allegedly a BIG Junk Science Scam.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Oh Peter… Get real. You are the same type of person who would criticize the Dunsford’s for moving. For you, they are wrong either way. They could, they could go and your responses would still be just as hate-filled.
Stop blaming them for problems in the community. The FDOH came in and did its testing and they found a problem. If you are upset about that, go to the State. Don’t bash innocent families with sick children.
Only a selfish, heartless person would blame others for seeking the truth.
My advice to you is educate yourself. The Dunsford family and others with sick children did what the State of Florida required them to do. If you don’t like how the result, well then that really is your problem. The testing speaks for itself.
The test results speak for themselves - and hopefully after more test results are released we will know where to go from here.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
The Scummy Lawyers using junk science to invent a problem here should pay to rehabilitate RPB reputation , and the few families out there behind this scam.
Why don’t these Senators/Politicians do something to SHUT DOWN these LEGALIZED DRUG DEALING PILL MILLS called Pain Management….its estimated 7-10 people EVERY day are dying in FL from these and this is LEGAL INVOLVING DOCTORS and POLITICIANS with their feet stuck in the mud!
NELSON looks terrible , poor guy.
This is all an emotional crock that’s hurting innocent property owners and PB COUNTY.
THANKS BURT A. for supporting this injustice!
We expect nothing less from CORRUPTION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS!
March 12th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Smart realtor, that comment was uncalled for. This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion. We were labeled a Cancer Cluster without all the facts being known. Those parents who brought this to everyone’s attention did nothing more than Yell Fire in a crowded theater. They caused panic and hysteria with their half truths.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Will he be satisfied if nothing is found?
So far the test results have all came up ok
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/10/01/1001acreagewater.html
http://www.indiantrail.com/vertical/Sites/%7B95389235-8820-418D-BE02-3F9E71D7AC79%7D/uploads/%7B2D614818-3AE9-4C96-9624-BDB82986CCF1%7D.PDF
March 12th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
RPB is being led by the nose by a bunch of nut-jobs.
GET REAL…testing was done.
NOTHING concluded that there is ANY KIND OF CLUSTER in RPB but the whole…>SUE SUE SUE crowd is sure this will make them rich….no matter how much it hurts PB COUNTY and our Neighbors.
I KNOW FOR A FACT that I would Never vote for BILL NELSON after seeing him being such a political prostitute on this issue.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
#1. Why don’t the nut-case complainers just move if they really believe their own B.S. story?
#2. Who is paying for the Dunsford Group Muckracking…hysteria mongering? What Money Grubbing PI Law Firm?
#3. Again, Dunsford…if its so darn dangerous and you care so much…why don’t you MOVE!
March 12th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
When you are done reading this article. Don’t forget to go to the Dunsdord’s website and donate money to them! CASH IS KING!!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
So far the test results have all came up ok. Check the Oct 1,2009 letter from FDOEP. I tried to put a link but so far the post will not allow it
March 12th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/10/01/1001acreagewater.html
March 12th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
“Selected Acreage residents are starting to take their seats”
Who came up with this list of people?
I guess this was just a picture moment for Nelson.
Another one sided meeting when is he going to invite the people who think this is bogus and have a meeting with them???????
March 12th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Would somebody ask Mr. Dunsford WHY my tax money needs to be used to test well depths in the acreage? Want us to check the brakes on your car too? How about if we test well depths on EVERY house in the county? GROW UP,and learn about personal responsibility! I had a company come in when we first moved here. BEFORE I EVER PURCHASED MY HOUSE!I had the water tested,the well depth confirmed,just like I had a termite inspection,and a roof inspection. IT’S CALLED BEING AN ADULT! What a bunch of MONEY grubbing ***holes.
PLEASE JUST GO AWAY!
March 12th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
To the right of Bill Nelson in the picture is that Vanessa the forclosed lady that lied to Tim Malloy on TV why she left the Acreage. She was Sponsored/partnership with the Dunsfords web site to grab money for the suffering sick children in our community. Wonder who got the money. The Dunsfords are moving/forclosure/short-sale, you chance to buy a home they believe causes Cancer.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
To the right of Bill Nelson in the picture is that Vanessa the forclosed lady that lied to Tim Malloy on TV why she left the Acreage. She was Sponsored/partnership with the Dunsfords web site to grab money for the suffering sick children in our community. Wonder who got the money. The Dunsfords are moving/forclosure/short-sale, your chance to buy a home they believe causes Cancer.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
03/09/2010 DEP Report
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/southeast/acreage/03.09.2010%20-%20DEP%20&%20DOH%20FAQs.pdf
or cut and paste this
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/southeast/acreage/03.09.2010%20-%20DEP%20&%20DOH%20FAQs.pdf
March 12th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
What do the Dunsfords do for a living?
March 12th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
They aren’t moving because of their “cancer house”,they are moving because they bought a house they don’t even come close to being able to afford. Just like a bunch of other tools who bought a $300,000 home out here,and make $40,000 a year. Can you say DOH???
March 12th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Why is everyone referring to Royal Palm Beach? This is in the Acerage in unincorporated PB County, not RPB!
And it’s all BS anyway…been here 15 yrs and will be another 15 God willing.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Leave the Dunsfords alone…you bunch of Red Necks…
March 12th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
What did greg mean better then the last meeting? The people who where yelling were on his side!!!!!!!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
@New Yorker Says: you bunch of Red Necks… Thank you I am proud of it. Next time you eat any food it came from some redneck somewhere.
Oh, New York just called, they miss their Village Idiot.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Is this really about getting the acreage residents to get county water because of the water line to nowhere that cost almost 200 million dollars and to save face or job for bad forecasting on the part of our civic leaders which if you remember are public servants!!
March 12th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
SHAME ON ALL OF THE HATERS! Regardless of whether you believe there is a cancer cluster in the Acreage, the damage is done and we all need to work together to find the answers. To those of you who do not live in the Acreage - are you so ignorant that you think this problem does not affect YOU and YOUR property values? It affects ALL OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. Just stop the petty bickering about paying for water with your tax dollars - Acreage residents pay taxes too! It’s all of PBC’s tax money, not just fancy gated community money.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
I beleive this is about getting the acreage residents to connect to the county water line that was put in to service the Scripps project that was badly managed by our county administrators and this is a way to make up for the almost 200 million dollar blunder remember you are PUBLIC SERVANTS not self serving gold diggers, as been shown by others your not going to take it with you.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Wow, what a bunch of angry hate mongers. You sound like a bunch of angry torch n’ pitchfork carrying loons.
The research was done. You can live in denial if that helps you sleep better, but it doesn’t change the fact that THERE IS a CANCER CLUSTER in the Acreage.
Come on brainiacs, look it up. The Department of Health said it themselves - determining whether a cancer cluster exists is tough but they found enough evidence to declare one here.
Clearly, you just want someone to blame for your own ignorance. Blame yourself. Call up your buddy Dr. Alonso and ask her to explain this highly complex issue to you since you apparently don’t know how to read.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
PBCWUD borrowed 373 million to build two lines to Scripps.Burt Aaronason does not represent the Acreage.As far as the Dunsfords and their claims I think you’ll see like balloon boy other motives drive this train.The screaming lunitics at the SHS meeting were all Dunsfords cronies.I hope the feds bring the IRS along for the ride it should be interesting.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Stop the hating, just send your money to our wedsite we need money to retire!!!! I mean the Dunsford’s website. Let’s use our childrens misfortunes to make some money! It is the American way!!!!!! Our Kids have cancer and we still live here! We need money to move back to Broward!! Send us you money please!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
In all these Acreage meeting pictures, there is always the plastic water bottle. Quite ironic if you believe this.
http://www.usnews.com/health/blogs/on-women/2009/3/12/plastic-water-bottles-should-you-avoid-the-disposable-kind-too
Let the feds, county, state pay to run main water lines to the Acreage. Cluster or not, damage to Acreage is done. Water hook ups will increase value of homes. If you don’t want it, don’t run a hook up to the street line run.
March 12th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Your voice in the community. The voice of reason.
http://WWW.ACREAGEFORUM.ORG
Make youropinions known!!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Your voice in the community. The voice of reason.
http://WWW.ACREAGEFORUM.ORG
Make your opinions known!!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
The hateful remarks of some of you are so awful. I’ve lived in the Acreage for 15 years with my husband and 3 children. We planned to retire here. We NEVER wanted county water lines out here. We did have our well tested when it was installed…it was fine. We are fine with paying to have it tested again.
People keep saying if we’re worried about our kids we should leave. Really, how can we do that? Live under a bridge in a box somewhere? We can’t sell our house. We can’t get another mortgage if we walk away from it. Forget renting it, I don’t see anyone doing that.
Yes, it looks like we have a cancer cluster. We are taxpayers and we should be helped by the government to discover the cause and have it cleaned up, if possible. If it can’t be fixed, then we should be allowed to walk away from our properties without our credit scores being lowered.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
To the blogger who mentioned how bad Bill Nelson looks, you are so right. In the past even though Bill is a democrap he has been a good Senator. The Obammy ministration has cooked his goose. He’s not stupid, he knows the healthcare BS is no good. He knows Obammy is destroying the democraps, I mean my God they are dropping like flys. Getting bribed so fast they can’t keep up with the promises. Getting fingers shook at ‘em my naked men in the shower to support Obammy. I woosh Nelson would
turn on voting for the ObammyCare until Obammy agreed to fund NASA and save these Florida jobs. Maybe Bill Nelson could get CharLIE Crist to call Obammy and save NASA, they are good friends!
March 12th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
The authorities have been dragging their feet for over a year. The county is collecting taxes on homes and property that is in my opinion not marketable because of the cancer cluster. There are many important questions that need to be answered quickly. If the water is the problem, who polluted it? Geographically How far does this pollution go? Is it Sugar industry? Is it Pratt Whitney? Were the Orange groves affected? If so does that mean people who drank orange juice from this area can develop cancer? Should there be a hardship moratorium on taxes in this area or a rebate on taxes? What provisions are being taken to take care of the victims in this area as far as health care? The Senator coming down to this meeting is a dog and pony show. It should have occurred much earlier.
March 13th, 2010 at 12:24 am
They are not going to find anything out here that is causing cancer. I don’t think there is a cancer cluster here in the acreage. The damage is done, everyones property is now worth nothing. Realtors are not bringing anyone out here and the banks will not write a mortgage for a house out here. So, if you want to move you are shit out of luck. We are all stuck here now, better enjoy it. There is nothing wrong with the water out here, I think too many people are watching too much of the Erin Brokovich movie. If there was something out here, don’t you think more people would be sick with more than just a few cases of cancer. The acreage is a nice place to be, but I didn’t want to retire here, now I’m stuck here. Thanks for all the hype before all the investigations were done.
March 13th, 2010 at 10:46 am
To Acreage resident,
I hope they don’t find anything in the acreage but the fact is that this has been dragging on for too long a time. The county dragged its feet when it came to resolving this issue but were fast to take everyone’s taxes. I was at the meeting at the high school when residents were giving their personal experience with sickness in their families. It was sad. I feel that government is traditionally reactive not proactive. The state wants to bail out US Sugar with a land deal. I feel that the state and federal government should be helping these families and coming up with a utilization plan for this area. We spent a lot of money to slot Mecca Farms for a biotech institute. They could use this area to implement forms of energy like solar and wind and environmental research. It could be a state and federal green institute that brings back value to this land.
March 14th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
[...] Live updates – Sen. Bill Nelson meets with Acreage residents … [...]
March 14th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
All the arguments have been made, several times over, and at this point we are just repeating ourselves.
We know that the Dunsfords are, at best, misinformed and at worst liars.
We know that this is an effort to have folks out here hook up to city water, which is suspect at best.
We know that there are lawyers ready to sue…someone, anyone, perhaps Pratt Whitney.
We know these lawyers want to sue, and people in the Acreage will get very little of the money.
We also know, or should know, that Pratt Whitney will have their own lawyers and the case will go on for YEARS…perhaps even decades.
If the Dunsfords, and the others, were truly worried, wouldn’t they have moved by now.
We all know that this entire thing is bogus…and I am getting very tired of it.
March 15th, 2010 at 6:45 am
Now that Nelson is involved it’s just going to drag on and on. He needs to votes to get re-elected and don’t forget, he’s for Cap N Trade and Obamacare. The two most destructive pieces of legislature ever considered. Wake up America, you’re being rail roaded.
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