FLORIDA TIMES UNION June 27, 2005
Labor camp inspections falling short in Putnam By MATT GALNOR The Putnam County Health Department has not inspected its labor camps as often as state law requires and many times did not follow up when camps failed inspections, records show. State law requires county health departments to inspect the camps twice every three months when workers are living there. A review of inspection records for the last four years shows Putnam County inspectors either made it only once or never came at all in more than half of the three-month periods. Records also showed several occasions where inspectors didn't come back to the camps until weeks, sometimes even a month or two after they had said they'd check to see if problems were fixed. At St. Johns County's five camps, officials met the state requirement 95 percent of the time. Laurey Gauch, the Putnam County Health Department administrator, said her inspectors are stretched thin but the county's five camps will be taken care of more timely in the future. "I can guarantee you that if I have to inspect them myself, they will be inspected twice quarterly," Gauch said Friday. Until police raided the Evans Labor Camp in East Palatka this month, the health department hadn't been there since the fall. Now, after four people were arrested and 148 rocks of crack cocaine were found on the property, there's a long list of problems. County code officers have given camp owner Ronald Evans until mid-July to fix problems such as exposed wires and unvented heaters or have the place shut down. "I think Evans' camp demonstrates how big a gap there is in enforcement," said Lisa Butler, an attorney with Florida Rural Legal Services, a federally funded group that advocates for farmworkers. Butler has spoken with officials in both counties over the years and says she's seen about equal problems in Putnam and St. Johns counties. The camps house people who work in cabbage patches and potato fields. Camps open in the fall and run until early summer, depending on the weather and when crops come in. Most crews in Northeast Florida have already packed up for the season and headed north, mostly to work on vegetable farms. Inspectors are sent to the camps to ensure living quarters are clean and safe for people to live, though the standards are minimal, officials said. They are required to check various items, including to see if toilets and showers are working, to make sure all windows have screens and the kitchens meet sanitary requirements. During the inspection, officials mark off items that need to be addressed. Inspectors then determine whether the camp passes or fails the check. If the camp fails, inspectors will set another date to come back and check if repairs were made. Inspectors can issue citations, but it's relatively rare, records show. Putnam County has issued four citations since 2002, all this year to Simmons Labor Camp in Pomona Park. The camp appealed the citations and the two sides settled this month, Gauch said. The camp brought its building up to standards and paid a $500 fine. Johnnie Simmons, listed on county records as the camp manager, declined to comment when reached Thursday night. In St. Johns County, a camp could pass an inspection, but may have a note on the form to fix a broken window before the next inspection. If an inspector comes by two or three times and the problem isn't fixed, then the camp may end up with a ticket, said Mike Towle, the county's director of environmental health. St. Johns issued nine tickets in the last four years, records show. Towle said the county hasn't collected a fine in at least 10 years, "We are not about punitive damages, we're about compliance," Towle said. Gauch also said the main goal is to bring the camps up to standards for the workers living there. But inspectors don't know if changes are made if they don't go back to the property. In April, two different camps -- Anzualda Migrant Labor Camp in East Palatka and Campbell's Labor Camp in Crescent City -- failed inspections. At Anzualda, the inspectors noted the refrigerator, stoves and trash barrels all needed to be cleaned. Similar problems were found at Campbell's, but the inspector also wrote that beds needed to be moved off the floor and the rooms must have 50 square feet of floor space per person. Follow-up inspections were scheduled for May 13, two weeks later, at both camps. Inspectors did not return until June 15, the day after the Times-Union set up a meeting to review inspection records. By that time, Anzualda's camp was closed for the season. "Unfortunately, circumstances come up where you can't always get back there as quickly as you'd like," Gauch said. Raul Anzualda, who owns and runs the camp, said Thursday night the problems were fixed. Epheriam Campbell, owner of Campbell's Labor Camp, did not return phone messages left Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gauch said the department just hired a new inspector, giving her a full staff of six. Gauch said the department has been working with three to five inspectors the last several years. Permits for new septic systems and well are up 25 percent in the past year and Gauch said her people have their hands full just trying to keep up with the growth in the county. State Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, said inspections are among many things he plans to address in a town hall meeting he'll hold on labor camps next month. Hill, whose district includes parts of Putnam and St. Johns counties, toured camps in St. Johns County on Wednesday, then was escorted around Evans' camp the next day. Hill, a former union executive, said he wants to make sure workers are living in adequate housing and are earning at least the minimum wage.
|