ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — In St. Johns County, six homeowners in the Morgan’s Cove neighborhood have filed a lawsuit against Indianhead Biomass Services after nearly two years of smelling what they believe is human waste in the air.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, June 17, claims the company’s composting and biosolid treatment facility emits a noxious odor similar to human waste.
Residents said the smell has lowered their property values and hurt their quality of life.
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The Indianhead Biomass facility is located near Morgan’s Cove on County Road 214. Neighbors said the smell is especially strong during the facility’s operating hours.
“It got to the point where I think the smell would even burn your eyes. It was that bad,” said homeowner Aaron Costell.
In May, the company told Action News Jax that the odor comes from biosolids, such as sewage sludge, processed on-site into an agricultural soil enhancer.
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“Our property values went down, and the value of life here is not the same,” said homeowner Mike Adams.
The issue first came to light publicly in May when residents raised concerns about the smell.
One homeowner launched a website called “Stop the Stink,” which drew nearly a thousand complaints. Since then, reactions from homeowners have been mixed.
“It has gotten worse,” said Adams.
“What I have observed has gotten better,” said Costell.
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Indianhead Biomass has announced a public event on July 24 to explain its operations. While the company declined to comment on the lawsuit, it confirmed the event will be held at 6:30 PM at the Solomon Calhoun Center.
Some residents remain skeptical about the event.
“Common sense tells you that this is not healthy. They’re going to try to convince us that everything is gonna be all right when it’s not,” said Adams.
“Is gonna be full transparency and is for sure the company going to provide data that’s going to allow the citizens of this neighborhood to feel safe,” said Costell.
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