Developer Sentenced for Asbestos Violations

August 3, 2006 - The corporate owner/developer of a West Palm Beach (FL) renovation project and its general manager were sentenced in a Florida court for violations dealing with the removal of asbestos materials from a construction site.

Parkland Towncenter pleaded guilty in April to having knowingly failed to file an advance written (10-day) notice in connection with the demolition or renovation of the Northwood Building, as required under the federal Clean Air Act's National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) pertaining to asbestos, according to an article in the South Florida business journal.

The company was ordered to pay a $125,000 criminal fine, a $45,000 payment to the Florida Statewide Environmental Task Force in lieu of community service and a $400 special assessment.

General Manager Neil Kozokoff was considered an “accessory-after-the-fact” to Parkland's knowing failure to file the notices that are required.  He was sentenced to 18 months of federal probation, with a special condition requiring 90 days of home confinement, a $25,000 criminal fine and a $25 special assessment.