State rep. urges Crist to work for DEP rules reform

A state representative called for Gov. Charlie Crist to help strengthen state Department of Environmental Protection regulations in light of the toxic plume investigation plaguing his hometown.

In a letter sent Friday, State Rep. Janet Long (left), D-St. Petersburg, applauded Crist's comments in a St. Petersburg Times story today on the Raytheon Co. contamination case. She also asked him to work with her to develop stronger rules that would eliminate the "disturbing" lack of concern from the DEP and others involved.

"The longer this issue goes on the more costly it becomes for our communities and families," Long wrote in the letter.

Officials first discovered groundwater contamination at the west St. Petersburg facility in the early 1990s. Since at least 1999, state regulators have known the plume of toxic chemicals has been moving toward nearby residential areas.

However, residents were never told even after letters were sent to city and county officials starting in 2005.

--Dagny Salas, Times Staff

[Scott Keeler, Times]