So much for the environment.

[unhappycamper]

Explosive Discovery Expands Area Of Concern Near Bombing Range
UPDATED: 12:27 pm EST November 7, 2007

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Another bomb scare will soon lead to a new search for more bombs near Odyssey Middle School in Orange County. Tuesday, the Warwick subdivision and a daycare were evacuated before a bomb squad from Patrick Air force base detonated a 70-year-old bomb shell.

Now, a new search will take place in the Warwick subdivision, but residents will first have to sign a right of entry form.

A crew with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was digging up the property Wednesday south of Odyssey Middle School, in an area that's within the boundaries of concern. However, the 23-pound practice bomb found Tuesday was in the Warwick subdivision, located on the other side of a brick wall, outside the so-called area of concern.



Lawmakers Want Army Corps To Expand Search For Old Bombs
UPDATED: 12:33 pm EST November 12, 2007

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Central Florida lawmakers want to expand the search for bombs at the Pinecastle Jeep Range in east Orange County. The former bombing range is now the site of several homes and Monday lawmakers called for the search to expand to other subdivisions.

After last week's discovery of a device in the Warwick subdivision of Orlando, U.S. senators Bill Nelson, Mel Martinez and U.S. Congressman Ric Keller want to expand the Army Corps of Engineers search for World War II-era bombs near the Pinecastle Jeep Range.

The three lawmakers said Monday the unexpected findings last week were disappointing and raise the possibility that more bombs could be found.



Army Corps To Dig 2,000 Holes In Search For Bombs
UPDATED: 1:06 pm EST November 19, 2007

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Two thousand holes will have to be dug outside Odyssey Middle School to make sure metal pieces found there are not bombs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will do the work this week while students are out of school.

Eyewitness News learned Monday that residents in some of the neighboring subdivisions may not see the Army Corps digging in their neighborhood for years. This week they are only focusing on the school.

Eyewitness News was not allowed beyond a fence to the area where crews were digging Monday, as the aggressive search for bombs on the land behind Odyssey Middle School continued.



Another Bomb Found In Orlando Neighborhood
POSTED: 5:15 pm EST November 28, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A crew from Patrick Air Force Base was called in to detonate a 23-pound bomb found in an Orlando neighborhood. It was the latest bomb discovered in the Warwick neighborhood of the Vista Lakes community, just south of Odyssey Middle School.

In July, authorities revealed the school and some nearby neighborhoods were built on top of a former Army bombing range. Since then, there have been several instances of live ammunition found in the area.

No one has been injured by any of the detonations.



Army Corps Back On School Campus Looking For Bombs
UPDATED: 4:22 pm EST December 27, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Army Corps of Engineers was back at Odyssey Middle School on Thursday to look for explosives while students are on winter vacation. Fifty bombs have been removed or detonated from the entire area in the last five months.

The Army Corps has focused its search on Odyssey Middle School grounds to try and free the campus of live bombs. Thirty-one pounds of bomb debris and several apparently live bombs were removed from the school grounds over Thanksgiving break alone.

Crews were back again Thursday, searching over Christmas break. About half of the school grounds still need to be searched.



Army Corps To Detonate More Explosives Found At Middle School
POSTED: 11:46 am EST January 4, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Army Corps of Engineers plans to detonate more explosives found at Odyssey Middle School this weekend.

Crews have been combing the school grounds for weeks to find explosives while students were on winter break. Explosives were first found back in July.

The school sits on what used to be an old WWII bombing range.



More Munitions Detonated At Odyssey Middle School
UPDATED: 11:58 pm EST January 5, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- They Army Corps of Engineers blew up 49 World War II era bombs on the Odyssey Middle School campus Saturday. Inspectors also destroyed a handful of Rockets. The munitions were left over from the Pinecastle Jeep Bombing Range.

Engineers thoroughly searched the school grounds. Senator Bill Nelson came to inspect the work and said students are not in any danger.

Despite the declaration, some parents and neighbors still don’t feel completely safe.



Students Return To School With Remaining Explosives Fenced In
UPDATED: 3:14 pm EST January 7, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Students returned to Odyssey Middle School on Monday even though there are piles of explosives sitting right behind the building.

Superintendent Ron Blocker was on campus trying to assure parents that their children are safe. He told them their children wouldn't be there if he didn't think it was safe and said the staff is keeping a close eye on students to make sure they stay away from the munitions behind the school.

Two days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blew up 49 explosives at Odyssey Middle School, Blocker was on campus to welcome students back to class.



Homeowners Taking Legal Action After Bombs Found At Nearby School
POSTED: 7:37 am EST January 8, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Homeowners who live near Odyssey Middle School are seeing their property values drop. Some said they could lose $250,000 because of all the bombs found.

To fight the losses, more than 100 families are suing Morrison Homes and developer Terra Brook Vista in the Warwick subdivision. One house that had been appraised at nearly $600,000 before the bombs were found was receiving offers around $280,000.

One homeowner says the stigma attached to the area is too much to overcome.



Buried Bombs Could Cause Orlando Homeowners To Lose Insurance
POSTED: 5:14 pm EST January 14, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hundreds of people who unwittingly bought homes near a World War II-era bombing range are suing after learning they could lose their insurance.

Attorneys for the residents said Lennar Homes and other builders committed fraud by concealing that the homes were built on the bombing range.

Public records show that fill dirt from the range was used throughout the development and the Army is testing the soil for possible toxic chemicals.



More Bombs Found Near Odyssey Middle School Have Residents Concerned
POSTED: 7:01 am EST January 21, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Army Corps of Engineers said they plan on detonating more bombs at Odyssey Middle School Monday during the holiday break.

Residents in the area said they were getting desperate to sell their homes. Like many people who live near Odyssey Middle School in southeast Orlando, Ruth Ortiz is frustrated.

Ortiz is selling her house at an $80,000 loss and said she plans to sue the builder for not telling her about potential hazards around the old Pinecastle jeep range.



Army Corps Says They Can't Check For Bombs Under Classrooms
UPDATED: 5:32 pm EST January 21, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Old bombs are raising new questions about the safety of students at an Orange County middle school. Monday, while students were out of school for Martin Luther King Day, the Army Corps of Engineers blew up more bombs found at Odyssey Middle School.

The school was built right next to an old World War II bombing range and so far 100 devices have been found on school grounds, but officials remain firm that students and faculty are safe. That's because they think Monday's detonations were the very last of the bombs underneath open fields on campus.

But when Eyewitness News asked Monday if bombs are buried beneath classrooms, they weren't so sure.



Which brings us to today.


Man Hospitalized After Discovering Dangerous Device At Middle School
UPDATED: 10:04 am EST January 28, 2008+

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- A contractor doing work on the grounds of Odyssey Middle School had to be hospitalized after accidently igniting a dangerous phosphorus device in an area that was declared safe by the Army Corps of Engineers less than a week ago.

Channel 9 was first to find out about the discovery Sunday afternoon after Ray Skuta called and reported the incident. He said that the device had caught fire and that he tried to put it out. Channel 9 immediately called the Orlando Police Department and police and rescue crews quickly responded to the school to investigate.

Rescue crews rushed Skuta to the hospital to be treated for breathing problems and exposure to the chemicals. Channel 9 met with Skuta after he was released from Orlando Regional Medical Center after 8:00p.m. Sunday night.

Dressed only in a hospital gown and a borrowed jacket, Skuta explained how firefighters stripped him, washed him down with a fire hose, and burned his clothing after he was exposed to the dangerous phosphorus chemical.

"I lost my blue jeans, my underwear, my belt, everything's gone," he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.wftv.com/news/15150606/detail.html