HAINES CITY, Fla. — Some Haines City residents say a strong, sewage-like odor has been hanging over their neighborhood, and they’ve been smelling it for months.
Neighbors living near the lift station at Patterson Road and Tenth Street say the stench has gotten worse, especially on hot afternoons.
Standing in his driveway washing his car, Yoabon Bermudez says it’s become a daily nuisance.
“It’s really bad, the smell. It’s worse than a porta-potty,” Bermudez said. “We live right next to it, and this smell goes about a mile or two. That’s how far it travels. Hopefully, they take care of it.”
Another resident, Justin Hubbert, has lived in the area for five years and says the odor isn’t just unpleasant — it’s affecting property values.
“It seems to be heavier in the afternoons,” Hubbert said. “We’re trying to sell our house, and if people come to look and it stinks like a sewer, it’s not really a great selling point.”
City officials confirm the smell is coming from the nearby wastewater lift station — and it’s being pushed to its limits by the city’s rapid population growth.
Deputy City Manager James Keene said the facility was built in 2017 when Haines City had about 23,000 residents. Today, the population has nearly doubled to over 44,000.
“Additional flows in the area have caused some odor issues in the system,” Keene said. “We are working to upgrade for capacity and install new odor control systems.”
Keene said the city commission has dedicated new funding to improve Haines City’s aging sewer infrastructure.
“Our city commission has dedicated all the resources to strengthen the city’s infrastructure — not only to catch up to this growth, but to get ahead of it,” Keene said.
To address the odor, the Haines City Utilities Department is installing a magnesia drip system upstream of the lift station. The chemical system helps neutralize hydrogen sulfide gas — the source of the “rotten egg” smell — before it reaches the neighborhood.
The project will also include a new gravity line and manhole, aimed at improving flow and capacity.
Fadia Patterson
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