What is an Environmental Crime?

Environmental crimes can cause harm to Florida’s environment and put people at risk. These crimes can be defined as the willful or negligent violation of any law or rule enacted to protect the environment or regulate the generation and disposal of waste. Some examples include the illegal disposal of hazardous waste, burning or burying prohibited materials, and unauthorized dredge and fill activity in wetlands. 

Members of the Environmental Response Team are specially trained agents.

Violations of environmental laws may not always be obvious. Signs of violations may include:

• Containers or drums that appear to be abandoned (for example, you find them in a forest, along a roadside or otherwise in a place where it appears they do not belong), especially if they are corroded or leaking.
• Discolored and/or stressed, dying plant life.
• Visible sheens on the ground or in the water.
• Foul smelling or strange looking emissions into the air.

Citizens should also be aware of odd activities, such as:

• A truck dumping materials into a manhole or sewer drain.
• A truck unloading drums at odd hours or in odd places.
• A person burying drums on business or residential property.

Environmental emergencies, like oil and chemical spills and the release of radioactive materials, may occur from:

• transportation accidents,
• events at chemical or other facilities using or manufacturing chemicals, or
• as a result of natural or human caused disasters.

How do I report a suspected environmental crime?

• To report environmental crimes, call 1-877-272-8335 (1-877-2 SAVE FL) Wireless customers can dial #DEP.