5 Reasons for Jacksonville's Smell

[Metro Jacksonville]

5 Reasons for Jacksonville's Smell



Central Florida papers once described Jacksonville as an industrial city that sweats, and pretty much smells that way. This is a city that could use a shot of municipal-strength deodorant. On the other hand, local advocates countered that the city's rotten egg stench was the "smell of money". Here's a look back at the five places that once gave the city an image it's still trying to rid itself of.


Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-oct-5-reasons-for-jacksonvilles-smell

[I-10east]

Whatever that is on North Lane should have been mentioned. IMO it's the smelliest part of the city. I don't see how anyone can live out there.

[thelakelander]

^That's number 2 in the story.

[I-10east]

^^^Oh my bad. What a horrible stench out there. They should make that area non-residential the smell is so bad.

[thelakelander]

Now imagine that times five, all perfectly spread out over the city, so you'd get a whiff no matter what way the wind blew? That's what residents in the city had to deal with on a daily basis.

[blfair]

I'm also glad to not live by #4 -- the Renessenz plant. The smell isn't like the paper mill used to be, but it's a very funky & penetrating scent... you can't quite put your finger on what it is but you don't like it kind of thing.

[Houseboat Mike]

Ah yes, I can fondly (not really) recall the stench of these mills, coupled with the stench of the Mandarin landfill (remember that?), while being forced bused down to R.V. Daniels Elementary in the early 80's from Mandarin.

times sure change, eh?

[Know Growth]

"#2" is evident down in Avondale and beyond lately with Northerly winds. Seems more prevalent than 'usual' . I assume simply due to a certain set of weather patterns. But who knows,maybe lax enforcement,reduced government intervention. Perhaps the Chamber will encourage the Administration to review #2.

Interesting- over dinner tonight my wife & I were discussing possible reasons to move.......ol' #2 was a topic.I remember as a kid visiting smelly jax so long ago,and now still sniffing......2015!!! 
Years and Years and Years can finally lodge an opinion,action.

The Osceola National Forest/Pinhook/Okefenokee/O2O region has long been recognized as an air quality refresher. Some of us here experience the Fresh when weather conditions are jus' right. And what a shame to trash the breath of fresh air with Jacksonville ambivalence.

And of course,air 'quality' and 'smell' can be two separate subjects. Air quality at the I-295/Blanding Blvd. intersection,down in the swamp 'bowl',can reach rather bad levels. At one time in an enlightened past,state growth management directives advised against increased I-295/Blanding development due to air quality concerns.

Breath Deeply!

[standalone]

I grew up just a few miles north of number 4 (Glidden).  When we moved to Arlington in 1963 it was directly across the river from number 3 (Jefferson Smurfit plant).  I thought my very lady like Mother was going to kill somebody.  Thankfully, nothing has ever come close to the aroma of number 4.

[mbwright]

Fernandina ( and north east Jax when the wind is right) still smells a bit.  Perry still stink.  Haven't been in Palatka in years, but I would assume it still does, too.

[thelakelander]

^All of the plants and mills near these places are still open and operating. The only two Florida mills I can think of that have closed in the last 15 years or so is the mill on Talleyrand and the one in Port St. Joe. Also, the Durango mill in St. Mary's closed back in 2002.

[thelakelander]

Interesting story of the fall of the mill in St. Mary's:

The Fall of The House of Gilman

How family feuds, business neglect and extravagant spending destroyed a billion-dollar fortune

Howard Gilman led a double life. He ran a group of companies that churned out the most mundane products you could imagine: paper bags, bleached cardboard and two-by-fours. Yet he could be found hosting glitzy functions where he would sip champagne with the likes of actress Isabella Rossellini, or entertaining dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov at his elegant plantation near Jacksonville, Fla., which Gilman transformed into a dance center and wildlife preserve.

It was at the 7,500-acre White Oak Plantation that Gilman was felled by a heart attack at age 73, in January 1998. By this time the Gilman family fortune, with $1.1 billion in assets, carried $550 million in debt. Now, just over five years later, much of the remaining money is gone.

Full article: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0811/068.html

[Lunican]

Maxwell House seems like a big contributor but I guess people don't mind it as much as the others.

[Carol350]

We just moved off of Lane Avenue, near the IFF plant. Not sure I would be living here had I been aware of the fumes. I came home at 4PM today, when children were walking through the neighborhood on the way back from school. The fumes, on a scale of 1-10, we're a 5.5, and strong enough to burn my nose and throat. I know what a 10 is like, because I stepped out of my door into it one day, and the burn was so great I had to step immediately back in. But just that sort exposure set off an intense headache that lasted six hours or so. The fumes occur multiple times daily, any time of the day or night. I may start wearing a surgical mask when I go outside. Not kidding. I'm seeing no other alternative.

[pierre]

Interesting story of the fall of the mill in St. Mary's:

The Fall of The House of Gilman

How family feuds, business neglect and extravagant spending destroyed a billion-dollar fortune

Howard Gilman led a double life. He ran a group of companies that churned out the most mundane products you could imagine: paper bags, bleached cardboard and two-by-fours. Yet he could be found hosting glitzy functions where he would sip champagne with the likes of actress Isabella Rossellini, or entertaining dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov at his elegant plantation near Jacksonville, Fla., which Gilman transformed into a dance center and wildlife preserve.

It was at the 7,500-acre White Oak Plantation that Gilman was felled by a heart attack at age 73, in January 1998. By this time the Gilman family fortune, with $1.1 billion in assets, carried $550 million in debt. Now, just over five years later, much of the remaining money is gone.

Full article: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2003/0811/068.html

My father was stationed there in the late 80's/early 90's when I was a kid.

It seemed like every kid I knew had a father that was either in the Navy, or worked at the paper mill.

The smell was atrocious.